Latest Transfer Update at 30-03-2012

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LEON BRITTON SIGNS NEW SWANSEA DEAL

Swansea midfielder Leon Britton hopes to end his career with the club after signing a new three-year contract that will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until the summer of 2015.
Britton, 29, still had a year remaining on his existing deal, but manager Brendan Rodgers was keen to tie the playmaker to a longer contract after watching him turn in a string of fine performances in Swansea's maiden Barclays Premier League campaign.


Britton told the club website: "I'm pleased to complete the deal. It was an easy decision for me to make, although I still find it strange when I look back to the day I left for Sheffield United.
"I didn't even think I would be back in Swansea colours, let alone playing for the club in the Premier League armed with a new three-year contract."

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Brendan Rodgers: Linked with Spurs post

RODGERS PLAYS DOWN SPURS LINK

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has branded speculation linking him with a move to Tottenham as "disrespectful" to Harry Redknapp.
Rodgers, 39, has won plenty of plaudits for guiding Swansea into the top half of the Barclays Premier League table with an attractive possession style of play.
The performances of the south Wales club, which have included outstanding home wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, have led to the Northern Irishman, who signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract last month, being linked with moves to Spurs and Chelsea.
Reports in two national newspapers on Friday morning suggested that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is eyeing Rodgers as a potential replacement should Redknapp take over as full-time England manager.


But Rodgers was quick to reiterate his commitment to Swansea and said any talk of someone replacing Redknapp while the former Portsmouth, West Ham and Southampton boss is still in the job was unfair.
He said: "People need to fill pages in papers and they need discussion points.
"But my only focus is Swansea and Harry's only focus will be Tottenham and I just think it's disrespectful talking about him and the job he is in.
"He loves being at Tottenham and I know from talking to him when he was here in December that he enjoys being there.
"Likewise with myself, my only concentration and focus is on this job and trying to retain our status over the next eight games in this league."
He added: "It's part of British football, speculation, gossip, whatever you want to call it.
"When these reports come out you take them as they are, it fills a bit of a paper, people read it and it will probably be someone else tomorrow.


"Harry is Tottenham manager, he is clearly a candidate for the England job but at this moment he is Tottenham manager and to speculate about him coming out of there and someone going in while he is in a job, I don't think it's proper."
When quizzed on the reports, Redknapp himself said of Rodgers: "He's someone who has a fantastic future. I don't know what his long-term plans are but certainly the job he has done at Swansea has just been amazing.
"I remember speaking to Frank Lampard a few years ago when he was at Chelsea and he was telling me how good he was then.
"I just think it has been fantastic that a team can come up and play the way they have played, pass the ball as they do."
The timing of the speculation is particularly pertinent as Swansea travel to White Hart Lane on Sunday.


Defeat at home to Everton last weekend ended a run of three wins, but Swansea will head to London buoyed by the 1-1 draw they secured with Spurs on New Year's Eve.
Redknapp's men were arguably the division's form side at the time, and Swansea's display that day has proved the catalyst for an excellent run since Christmas.
Rodgers, who has winger Nathan Dyer back from suspension, said: "White Hart Lane is a very difficult place to go for sure but we go there with great motivation and confidence.
"We have won three of our last four games, March has been a terrific month for us, and we were given the ultimate accolade last week when we lost.


"David Moyes, a manager who I have a lot of respect for, said it was a massive win for Everton, so the reflection on that shows the job our players have done, that a club with a history like that and a manager like that talked about it being a massive win.
"We are satisfied and we want to keep working well and keep getting results which is the most important thing."

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Rodgers: Praised by Redknapp

FUTURE BRIGHT FOR RODGERS - REDKNAPP


Harry Redknapp has been astounded by Swansea's progress this season and has backed their boss Brendan Rodgers to manage at the highest level.
Rodgers guided Swansea to their first top-flight appearance since 1983 last summer after beating Reading in the npower Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Many expected the Welsh team to be relegated immediately, but they have defied their critics by performing well all season and they are now just one point short of the traditional safety mark of 40 points with eight matches of the Barclays Premier League season remaining.
Despite having just three full years of management experience, Rodgers has gained high praise for his ability to get his players to achieve results whilst remaining committed to an attractive brand of football - something many more experienced coaches have failed to do over the years.
The 39-year-old, who worked as part of Jose Mourinho's backroom staff at Chelsea, is reportedly under consideration to take over at White Hart Lane should Redknapp depart for England this summer, and the current Spurs boss is a big fan of the Ulsterman.


"He's someone who has a fantastic future," Redknapp said.
"I don't know what his long-term plans are but certainly the job he has done at Swansea has just been amazing.
"I remember speaking to Frank Lampard a few years ago when he was at Chelsea and he was telling me how good he was then.
"I just think it has been fantastic that a team can come up and play the way they have played, pass the ball as they do."
Tottenham would have been expected to count on the two games against Swansea as bankers at the start of the season, but they could only draw at the Liberty Stadium in December and are by no means assured of victory when Rodgers' team visit White Hart Lane on Sunday.
The Swans have beaten Arsenal and Manchester City this season and Redknapp admits his team must be at their best if they are to gain another win that will take them one step closer to Champions League football this weekend.


"It's so difficult to play them. They are fearless," Redknapp said.
"They have caused everyone problems this year, from Manchester United, to Manchester City, ourselves, Arsenal, Chelsea.
"They don't care who they play against, they have given them big, big problems."
Tottenham will be under intense pressure to end their seven-week long wait for a league victory on Sunday, especially as they may start the day six points behind third-place Arsenal, who travel to strugglers QPR on Saturday.
Spurs may have struggled to pick up points in the league recently, but they performed well to draw at Chelsea last weekend and looked back to their best when they swatted Bolton aside on Tuesday night to set up an FA Cup semi-final against their west London rivals.
Redknapp is sure that Spurs' blip is over, but has warned his squad they must not lose their focus in their remaining games despite now having a five-point lead over Chelsea.


"Every game is important now," Redknapp added.
"We have a semi-final to look forward to, but we have also got important league games to come.
"We want Champions League football next year so we can't afford really to slip up anywhere.
"We have really got to go full tilt at every game. We can't afford to take our football off the pedal or rest people up for a semi-final.
"If we are fortunate enough to get to the final, we will be playing the Wednesday before and the Tuesday after so the games will come thick and fast now."
Redknapp has winger Aaron Lennon available for the first time in three weeks after he recovered from a hamstring strain.