Redknapp would welcome Old Firm
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has joined Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill and Everton chief David Moyes in supporting Celtic and Rangers' bid to join the Premier League.
The trio are all in favour of Bolton Wanderers' chairman Phil Gartside’s plan of a two-tier system in which the Old Firm would be welcomed to the top flight.
“Absolutely, I would welcome Celtic and Rangers to English football if they wanted to play down here,” Redknapp told the Daily Record.
“No doubt about it. I’m sure they would be good for the English game.
“We are talking about two huge football clubs and if they were to join our league you would be looking at great games in great stadiums.”
Gartside’s proposal is due to be discussed at a meeting of Premier League clubs this week but Redknapp, for one, is fully behind the idea.
“I was up in Scotland only a couple of months ago to watch Celtic play Arsenal in the Champions League qualifiers and the atmosphere was out of this world," he said.
“It was incredible and I’d love to see games like that on a more regular basis.
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“The one worry I would have is what happens to the rest of Scottish football if the two of them are allowed to leave but only the people up there know the answer to that.
“If you’re asking me if it would be good for the English game then the answer is yes.”
Spurs have made an impressive start to the season and harbour serious hopes of breaking the Big Four's supremacy.
And Redknapp admits the introduction of the likes of Celtic and Rangers could harm their own hopes of silverware and European qualification.
However, the 62-year-old believes competition from the Scottish double act can only be good for the English game.
“It’s true, with the extra money they would get down here the two of them probably would end up challenging clubs such as ourselves for European places but that’ not something we should be scared of," he said.
“We are talking here about two great clubs and it would be fantastic to compete against them. It would only make the game in this country stronger if we had two clubs with their tradition operating in our league.”
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.