// Tottenham Hotspur :: To Dare Is To Do

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► CLUB INFORMATION
- Full Name: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
- Nicknames: Spurs, Lilywhites.
- Founded: 1882 (As Hotspur F.C).
- Rivals: Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham United.
- Home Ground: White Hart Lane.
- Club Owner: ENIC International ltd.
- Club Chairman: Daniel Levy.
- Manager: Harry Redknapp.
- Captain: Rbbbie Keane.
- League: Barclays Premier League [England]

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► STADIUM INFORMATION



WHITE HART LANE
- Location: London, England.
- Capacity: 36,310.
- Pitch Surface: Grass.
- Built: 1899.
- Opened: 1899.
- Owner: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
- Operator: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
- Architects: Archibald Leitch.

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► MANAGER INFORMATION



HARRY REDKNAPP
- Date of Birth: March 2nd, 1947.
- Place of Birth: London, England.
- Age: 62.
- Managerial History:
::: AFC Bournemouth (1983-1992)
::: West Ham United (1994-2001)
::: Portsmouth (2001-2004)
::: Southampton (2004-2005)
::: Potsmouth (2005-2008 )
::: Tottenham Hotspur (2008- )

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►HONORS



- DOMESTIC HONORS
/// First Division/Premier League:
- Winners (2): 1950-1951, 1960-1961.
- Runners Up [4]: 1921-22, 1951-52, 1956-57, 1962-63.

/// Second Division:
- Winners (2): 1919-20, 1949-50.
- Runners Up [2]: 1908-09, 1932-33.

/// FA Cup:
- Winners (8 ): 1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1881, 1982, 1991.
- Runners Up [1]: 1987.

/// League Cup:
- Winners (4): 1971, 1973, 1999, 2008.
- Runners Up [3]: 1982, 2002, 2009.

/// FA Community Shield:
- Winners (7): 1921, 1951, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1991
- Runners Up [2]: 1920, 1982.

- EUROPEAN HONORS
/// UEFA Cup
- Winners (2): 1972, 1984
- Runners Up [1]: 1974

/// UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:
- Winners (1): 1963.
- Runners Up [0]: N/A

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►LEAGUE INFORMATION


-Name: Barclays Premier League.
-Founded: February 20, 1992.
-Number Of Teams: 20.
-Relegation To: Coca-Cola Championship.
-Current Champions: Manchester United.
-Current Runners Up: Liverpool FC.
-Most Successful Club: Manchester United (10).
-Previous Champions: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers.

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►THE SQUAD



- GOALKEEPERS
1. Heurelho Gomes
23. Carlo Cudicini
35. David Button

- DEFENDERS
2. Alan Hutton
3. Gareth Bale
16. Kyle Naughton
19. Sebastien Bassong
20. Michael Dawson
22. Vedran Corluka
26. Ledley King
30. Dorian Dervite
32. Benoit Assou-Ekotto
39. Jonathan Woodgate

- MIDFIELDERS
5. David Bentley
6. Tom Huddlestone
7. Aaron Lennon
8. Jermaine Jenas
12. Wilson Palacios
14. Luka Modric
17. Giovani Dos Santos
24. Jamie O'Hara

- FORWARDS
9. Roman Pavlyuchenko
10. Robbie Keane
15. Peter Crouch
18. Jermaine Defoe

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Don't care what y'all say, doubt any of you will view but it's for my own good.

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SNEAKING INTO EUROPE

[John Terry lifts the Premier League trophy, as Guus Hiddink had a brilliant impact as temporary manager.]

LONDON, England - The 2008-09 season kicked off for Spurs with a London derby against rivals West Ham United. White Hart Lane was silenced, as The Hammers ran away victorious, thanks to strikes from Mark Noble and Luis Jiminez. Wigan provided a stern test for their next game, and they also ran out 2-0 winners, Jason Scotland got both the goals for Roberto Martinez's men. Harry Redknapp's side were expected to get a win against Stoke in the final game of August, and they dually delivered, smashing the Staffordshire side 4-0. Robbie Keane got the best goal of the game, as Aaron Lennon and David Bentley hit the other three goals, with the latter bagging a brace.


[David Bentley celebrates with Jermaine Jenas, after netting Spurs' fourth goal against Stoke City.]

Spurs welcomed Liverpool to White Hart Lane on the 6th of September, and The Reds only just snuck out with a win. Fernando Torres grabbed a last minute winner to crush Spurs fans hearts. Spurs were looking to bounce back with a win against Ipswich in the Carling Cup, and go through to the 3rd Round, courtesy of goals from Keane and Pavlyuchenko. another loss followed, this tiem to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Reid and McCarthy cancelled out O'Hara's opener, sending Spurs back to London with no points in the bag. They bagged three in their next game against Middlesbrough though, and Defoe got his first goal for the club, since re-signing from Portsmouth. Another easy fixture rounded of September, and Tottenham grabbed a 2-0 win at The Hawthorns, as Robbie Keane scored twice past a helpless Scott Carson.


[A last minute goal from Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a 3-2 win at White Hart Lane.]

With Spurs now in 10th place, they needed as many wins as they could, and October started brilliantly, against England's biggest team. Spurs were able to defeat Manchester United at the Lane, as the striking tandem of Keane and Defoe weaved it's magic once more. Everton managed to keep Defoe and Keane quiet during the game at Goodison Park, and after Defoe scuffed a shot, Everton counter attacked, and Tim Cahill scored the winner. Spurs faced Villa in Round 3 of the League Cup, after passing by Ipswich en-route. Spurs picked up another 2-1 win, as Pavlyuchenko grabbed a winner in Extra Time. Redknapp's old club, Portsmouth, visited White Hart Lane next, and a single strike from Papa Bouba Diop gave Pompey three points. Spurs travelled North next, to face crisis club Newcastle. However, the crisis club won, thanks to Ryan Taylor and Shola Ameobi netting headed strikes.


[Robbie Keane celebrates scoring against Man Utd in a shock 2-0 win over the Champions.]

November's first game was against the team they defeated in the League Cup just weeks earlier, Aston Villa. A 0-0 draw sent the Lane to sleep, and in Round 4 of the League Cup, against Sunderland, the fans were even more miserable, as ex-Spurs striker Darren Bent sent Sunderland through. Redknapp's job security was plummeting down, but some of the faith was restored after a 3-1 win against Hull City. The defenders were in on the act this time, with Bale and Corluka just two of the scorers for Spurs. Two London derbies followed on the trot. First was a home clash against Fulham, in which a Robbie Keane goal settled the outcome. Next, was the North London derby at the Emirates Stadium. It is one of the biggest derbies in footballing history, and in their first clash of the season, Arsenal took all 3 points.The strike-force of Eduardo and Van Persie was too much for Woodgate and King to handle, and a consolation goal from Palacios wasn't enough for at least a point. A tough game ended Spurs' November month, but they held moneybags Man city to a 2-2 draw. All new signings for both clubs scored. Defoe, Keane, Tevez and Barry got the gols, sending each team away with a point.


[Darren Bent scored for Sunderland, against the team who offloaded him to the North East.]

A tough game started the month of December, and it was another London derby, this time against Chelsea. It was an easy win for the Blues; Ballack netted twice, and Beletti scored a rare goal for Chelsea. It was time for Bent to meet his former club again, as Sunderland faced Spurs at the Lane, and it was a reverse of the Chelsea scoreline. Spurs netted three times, and an ex-Spur, not Bent, but Steed Malbranque, scored for the Black Cats. Two away games followed. First, Spurs travelled up to Greater Manchester, and Bolton got an amazing 3-0 win over them, and that was followed with the short trip across London to West Ham, which brought another loss upon Harry Redknapp, at his former managerial club. The hardest game possible followed up at the end of December, and this time, instead of grabbing three points against Manchester United, they could only manage 1. A 1-1 draw the game finished, thanks to goals from Defoe and Rooney inside the first 7 minutes.


[Michael Ballack netted a brace against Spurs, and (above) celebrates his 2nd goal.]

The long month of January started at home to Wigan. Spurs were now back on track, and showed it with a 3-1 win. Defoe & Keane were still scoring for fun, but the win only left Spurs in 13th place. A win against Everton could of pushed them up the table, and they moved up fast, winning 4-1 against The Toffees. Modric netted a contender for Goal of the Season with a blast into the top corner from 30 yards, and all confidence was bening injected at Spurs. An F.A Cup 3rd Round tie followed up against League 2 side Exeter City at the Lane, and they were thrashed 8-0. Defoe netted four of the goals, as Spurs set a benchmark for the highest scoring win in the F.A Cup this season. Defoe was pushing Keane all the way in trying to be top scorer at Spurs, and Keane had a chance to go further ahead, against his former club, Liverpool. It was a 0-0 draw though, with both clubs sitting in mid-table. Round 4 of the FA Cup was played on the 31st of January, and Spurs welcomed another League 2 side to White Hart Lane, Dagenham & Redbridge, but only a 3-0 win was sent out, and a goal for Defoe meant he was only two goals behind Keane on 12.


[Luka Modric netted against Everton, and was eventually named Goal of the Season.]

A 0-0 draw aganst Blackburn kickstarted their February month, and another scoreless draw followed against Middlesbrough. The scoring boots of Keane and Defoe had obviously gone missing, but they were brought back in a 3-0 win over rivals West Ham, in the FA Cup 5th Round. Obviously the midfield had stolen the scoring boots of Defoe and KEane, as Palacios, Modric and Bentley got on the scoresheet. The strikers finally got them back off the midfield, as Defoe and Keane both netted in the final game of February, against West Brom.


[These scoring boots of Jermain Defoe went missing during February.]

The goals were flowing in whichever game Spurs were playing in, and they netted 4 in a 4-2 win over Hull City. Their next game was the F.A Cup quarter-final, but Chelsea were at their best, and Didier Drogba snuck in to score a late 89th minute winner. Heartbreak for Spurs fans, but a week later, they defeated London rivals Fulham 1-0, thanks to a Defoe penalty. a storming game ended off the month of March, as the second instalment of the North London derby took place, this time at White Hart Lane. Spurs took the points, thnaks to a 12th minute Aaron Lennon goal. Their were mini pitch-invasions inside the ground when the goal went in, with some fans going up to the Arsenal fans, hurling abuse at them, which didn't make them too happy.


[Aaron Lennon wheels away in triumph, after netting the winner against huge rivals Arsenal.]

Their were only 8 games left in the season, and in the first game of April, Money City, or Manchester City, defeated Spurs at home, 3 goals to 1. It got worse to Tottenham, as they had Chelsea in their next game. The Blues weren't able to do the treble over Spurs though, as Lampard netted a 57th minute equaliser, cancelling out Palacios' opening goal. Three games in the next week meant Spurs fans were treated to a football fest. There were violent scenes in the stands, as Harry Redknapp went back to Fratton Park. Their was name calling by Pompey fans, and spurs fans hurled abuse at ex-player Sol Campbell, who was in defence for Portsmouth. He famously moved to Arsenal in 2001 from rivals Spurs, and was given a hosyile reception, being called gay and judas. Roman Pavlyuchenko managed to net the winner in the second half, which caused rampant scenes at the Spurs end. Spurs' second away game on the bounce was at Stoke, and a 3-0 win followed. That win condemned Stoe to the drop zone with just four games left, ans Spurs were left trying to fight for a European place. Newcastle were up first in the final 4 games, and Tottenham needed to win. They did too, and in style as well.


[Frank Lampard netted a 57th minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw for Chelsea versus Spurs.]

Going into May, and their was 3 games left in the season. Spurs needed to beat Sunderland, and if they did, regardless of Aston Villa's result on that day, Spurs could of sealed their place in Europe by next week, if they beat Villa. Ex-Tottenham midfielder Malbranque was the party pooper though, but with a win over Villa, Spurs would move into 6th place, a UEFA Europa League spot. Modric and Defoe were the heroes. If Aston Villa won on the final day, Spurs needed to too. Villa lost to Man Utd, and Spurs overcame Bolton by 3 goals to 2. spurs finished 5th, and grabbed a Europa League finish!! Chelsea won the Premier League, but Spurs had a remarkable season. With some new signings in the summer, Spurs could be breaking into the Top 4 within no time.


[Ex-Spur Steed Malbranque scored the only goal, in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Spurs.]

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TWO KYLES TO THE LANE

[Kyle Walker in action for Sheffield United.]

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Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signings of Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Shefffield United, for a combined fee of £11,000,000. They are both full-backs, and Walker will go back on loan to Sheffield United for one season.

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LONDON, England - Tottenham have signed defenders Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Championship side Sheffield United.

Everton had bid £5m to land Naughton, while Aston Villa were also believed to be admirers of the 20-year-old, who has instead opted for Spurs.

A fee has not been disclosed but could be close to the £10m mark for the duo.

Walker will return to Bramall Lane on loan as part of the deal with Spurs, and the Blades will also be able to take Tottenham players on loan.

Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell said: "Having Walker available is a very important part of our strategy and it's exciting to have the chance to talk with Tottenham and judge whether any other of their players might fit into our squad.

"If we think that someone could help us we could take them on a short-term loan throughout August and, if required, extend it to a season-long arrangement after that."

Naughton started off last season at right-back but switched to the left to accommodate Walker after he broke into the first-team late in the campaign.

The highly-rated defender had been at Bramall Lane since the age of eight and came through the same youth system as Everton defender Phil Jagielka.

Gretna had him on loan during the 2007/2008 season before Naughton made his Blades debut in August 2008.

He made 50 appearances as he helped Sheffield United to last season's Championship play-off final, where the Bramall Lane outfit lost to Burnley.

The England Under-21 full-back's impressive form saw him earn a place in the PFA championship team of the year.

Walker joined the Blades at seven and, after a brief loan spell at Northampton last season, he returned to play in their final five league games, including their three play-off ties.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has drafted in the duo, despite having full-backs Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Gareth Bale, Pascal Chimbonda, Vedran Corluka, Alan Hutton and Gilberto already at the club.

[Kyle Naughton in a pre-season friendly for Spurs.]

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[Courtesy: The Daily Star.]



SPURS COMPLETE CROUCH DEAL



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In Tottenham's 3rd signing fof the summer, they have rumoured to have beaten off stiff competition from Sunderland and Fulham, to sign ex-Tottenham striker Peter Crouch from Portsmouth for £9,000,000.

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LONDON, England - Tottenham have agreed a deal with Portsmouth to sign striker Peter Crouch for an undisclosed fee.

The 28-year-old, 6ft 7in England international scored 16 goals in all competitions for Pompey last season.

"He is different to almost anyone else in the league in terms of his size and the way he plays the game," said Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.

A Portsmouth statement indicated that Crouch's sale was dictated by financial issues affecting the south-coast side. Crouch returns to the club where he began his career as a trainee. The fee is believed to be in the region of £10m and the contract reported to be for five years and worth £70,000 a week.

Crouch agreed personal terms and passed a medical on Monday, joining strikers Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko at White Hart Lane.

"We now have four top strikers which is what you need at every club and so I am delighted to have Crouchy," added Redknapp. The surfeit of strikers leaves Darren Bent little option but to search for a move away from north London.

The England international has been a target of Sunderland - the team Crouch rejected a £12m move to last week - after indicating a desire to remain in the south. But an improved offer is likely to sway Bent, who has not travelled to China as part of Tottenham's squad for the Barclays Asia Trophy, which starts on Wednesday.

"We now have four strikers as it looks like Darren Bent could move," stated Redknapp. "I believe he is close to doing a deal with Sunderland. With Crouch, Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko we have a good strikeforce."

Crouch scored 16 goals in all competitions for Portsmouth last season and, in a club statement, Pompey acknowledged the need to cash in on their star striker.

"His sale was necessitated by the club's commitment to repay scheduled debts while we are in a transitional period of completing the takeover," said a spokesman on the club's website.

Pompey announced on 21 July they have agreed in principle to a takeover by United Arab Emirates tycoon Sulaiman Al Fahim after the 32-year-old passed the Premier League's fit and proper person test. The statement also revealed that Portsmouth will now look to "add fresh faces to the first-team squad as soon as possible".

Tottenham will be the third club at which Crouch has played under Redknapp following spells with the 62-year-old at Southampton and Portsmouth in the past. He will also link up with his former Pompey strike partner Jermain Defoe, who returned to Spurs for £15m in January.

Crouch first left Spurs in July 2000 to join Queens Park Rangers before moving to Portsmouth for his first spell at Fratton Park in 2001. He has subsequently played for Aston Villa, Norwich (on loan), Southampton and Liverpool before rejoining Portsmouth in July 2008. Crouch has made 34 appearances for England, scoring 16 goals.

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BENT IS A BLACK CAT


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Following Peter Crouch's move to White Hart Lane, Darren Bent was pushed back in the pecking order, and he's now joined Sunderland, in order to gain first team football.

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SUNDERLAND, England - After a protracted transfer saga, Darren Bent completed his £10 million club-record switch to Sunderland from Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old had become increasingly frustrated after Spurs' transfer demands forced him to wait for over a week to move to the Stadium of Light. The England international even criticised Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on his Twitter page, for apparently holding up his transfer but last night sealed a move for a club record fee that could add up to £15 million with add-ons.

"It has been a frustrating time, as I am sure many people are aware of, but I never let it get me down," Bent told Sky Sports News. The amount of messages I received from Sunderland fans, wishing me to come here wanting me to play, was key for me coming here and now I am here, I am delighted and just want to kick on."

Black Cats boss Steve Bruce added: "We are very, very pleased of course. Good things come to those who wait. The main thing was trying to agree a fee club-to-club. That took some time but I think we got there this morning. "t was a bit protracted, a bit tedious, but we got there in the end. We've been patient and finally got our man."

Bent's arrival, which smashed the previous record buy of £9 million for Craig Gordon, has taken Bruce's spending spree to £20 million since taking over in June.

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BASSONG MAKES SPURS SWITCH


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Following Newcastle United's relegation to the Football League Championship, their big stars have been flooding out of St James' Park. The latest is Sebastien Bassong, who joins Tottenham Hotspur for £8 Million.

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LONDON, England - The two clubs agreed a fee, believed to be upwards of £8 million, with the player penning a long-term contract at White Hart Lane. The 23 year-old is suspended for the first two games of the new season following his sending-off against Fulham at the end of last term.

A statement on Tottenham website read: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Newcastle United for the transfer of Sebastien Bassong to the club, following the player successfully completing a medical examination and agreeing personal terms."

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp made a bid for Bassong after learning that centre-backs Michael Dawson, Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King were all likely to miss the start of the season.

"I like him very much. He is young with a good future," Redknapp said.

Bassong, 23, joined Newcastle from French club Metz in July 2008 and produced some impressive displays despite his club's relegation. Born in Paris, he was called up by Cameroon for the first time recently and was keen to leave Newcastle for his international prospects.

"Playing for Newcastle was a real honour in front of the supporters at St James' Park," he said. "But I have always said that I wanted to play in the Premier League and that wasn't possible with Newcastle. It was not good for my career to be at a Championship club. I want to play in future World Cups and African Cup of Nations competitions with Cameroon. That is made more difficult if you are not playing at the higher level."

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DUO JOIN OTHER CLUBS


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Having made four transfers in this summer, it was about time Harry Redknapp offloaded some players. Two came all in one day. Kevin-Prince Boateng joined Portsmouth, while Pascal Chimbonda signed for Blackburn Rovers.

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PORTSMOUTH, England - Tottenham midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng is on his way to Portsmouth as Harry Redknapp began showing the exit door to some of his superfluous stars.

The German has struggled to hold down a first team place at White Hart Lane since joining the London club in 2007 and the clubs have agreed a fee of around £4million, although the deal has still to be finalised.

Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara is also joining Redknapp's former club on the south-coast in a loan deal until January.

With Pascal Chimbonda having joined Blackburn for £3million, Redknapp has pruned his Premier League table-topping squad and admits he is unlikely to bring in any more players before the transfer deadline next week.

Redknapp insisted he wants to keep Roman Pavlyuchenko despite Spartak Moscow being linked with the Russian striker.

Redknapp said: "He (Pavlyuchenko) needs to play and he finds it difficult not playing and he wants to be part of the Russian team. I had a chat with him this week and he's happy here. He enjoys being here.

"I've started with Jermain (Defoe) and Robbie (Keane) up front and the results couldn't have been better so it's been hard for him and Peter Crouch.

"They are disappointed but it is difficult to change a team that is playing so well.

"Pavlyuchenko's got great technique. If there's a big offer and the chairman feels we need to do it we'll decide from there. But I'd like to keep him."

On O'Hara, Redknapp admitted that he was reluctant to let him go and said: "Jamie's a terrific player but needs to play games and I'll let him go to Portsmouth on loan. He'll do a great job for them.
"I've not got anybody lined up to come in. Someone could offer you a player who could do something for the team, but at the moment we're not even close to getting anybody in."

And Redknapp is optimistic for the rest of the season.

He said: "We'd love to challenge the top four, but they are fantastic teams and what a team Manchester City have on paper. I'm sure they'll do well but we have a good squad. We have to believe in ourselves and keep winning games and see where it takes us."

[Pascal Chimbonda has decided to join Blackburn Rovers from Tottenham Hotspur.]

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HARRY WANTS LOTS OF PLAYERS


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Harry Redknapp still wants to strengthen his squad as he goes into the 2009-10 season with Tottenham Hotspur. We take a look at some of his rumoured targets.

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GOALKEEPERS

CARLOS KAMENI

- NAME: Carlos Kameni.
- NATION: Cameroon.
- HEIGHT: 6'1.
- AGE: 25.
- POSITION: Goalkeeper.
- MARKET VALUE: £1,300,000.
- CLUB: Espanyol (La Liga)


MARK SCHWARZER

- NAME: Mark Schwarzer.
- NATION: Australia.
- HEIGHT: 6'5.
- AGE: 36.
- POSITION: Goalkeeper.
- MARKET VALUE: £390,000.
- CLUB: Fulham (Barclays Premier League)


ROBERT GREEN

- NAME: Robert Green.
- NATION: England.
- HEIGHT: 6'3.
- AGE: 29.
- POSITION: Goalkeeper.
- MARKET VALUE: £2,900,000.
- CLUB: West Ham United (Barclays Premier League)