Parker is still ‘top class’ for Harry

HARRY Redknapp admits he still regards his long-term transfer target Scott Parker as one of the best midfielders in the country.

HARRY Redknapp admits he still regards his long-term transfer target Scott Parker as one of the best midfielders in the country.

Parker, who was the subject of a failed �6million bid from Tottenham during the summer, was in top form again during West Ham’s 1-0 win over the Lilywhites on Saturday.

It was Redknapp’s first defeat as an opposition manager at Upton Park and, with Parker at the heart of a thunderous London derby, Tottenham’s missed opportunity to bring the 27-year-old to the Lane is still a sore point for the manager.

Parker has since signed a long-term contract with the Hammers, and Redknapp denied he is still on his list of transfer targets.

“He’s a top player, that’s why I tried to sign him,” admitted the Spurs boss. “His confidence is sky high.

“He’s a player I’ve tried to sign the last three or four years, wherever I’ve been I’ve tried to get Scott Parker.

“I was interested in him because we were told they were willing to sell him. Daniel [Levy] made an offer because we were told they needed to raise money to bring two or three players in, and sometimes that’s good business.

“In the end I think they realised they couldn’t sell him. He is very much old school, he just gets on with his football doesn’t he? He loves to play.

“He’d have been a good player for us, but we’ve got good players in midfield as well. I’ve always liked him, I like him as a boy as well. He’s good pals with my son Jamie, he’s a smashing fellow.”