sport

COMOLLI UNDER THREAT AFTER DEADLINE FARCE

Damien Comolli's position as Tottenham's sporting director is being described as 'under review' after details emerged of the club's farcical pursuit of new players as the transfer window closed on Monday night.

According to The Daily Mail, chairman Daniel Levy, who has since left London on a brief holiday to consider Comolli's future, took control of the sale of Dimi Berbatov in order to allow Comolli to concentrate on lining up replacements.

'Instead he failed in a deal to bring in Sergio Garcia from Real Zaragoza - 'nailed on' to sign for Spurs early on Monday - and the striker instead joined Real Betis. Ramos, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Spanish league, had made the striker his top priority,' the newspaper reports.

Spurs, with Comolli at the helm of their transfer activity, is understood to have then made a last-ditch attempt to recruit Emile Heskey from Wigan. Upon being rebuffed by Steve Bruce, Spurs then turned their attention to Kevin Doyle despite Reading boss Steve Coppell making clear at the weekend that 'potential suitors had the whole of the summer to pick at the carcass of his relegated club and that he had no intention of selling players on transfer deadline day'.

Coppell's exact answer upon receiving a call from White Hart Lane at around 10.30pm on Monday night is not known but it is clear that it amounted to a 'no'.

The details of Tottenham's desperate and shambolic search add credence to the claims from Old Trafford that during the last two hours of deadline day Tottenham repeatedly changed their minds over selling Berbatov. His transfer was only ratified when United offered to send Frazier Campbell to north London on a season-long loan deal.

While the addition of the youngster at least offers Juande Ramos, now shorn of three of the four strikers he began the year with, another attacking option, United have more cause to celebrate the striker's move than his new and temporary employers. Adamant that there is no clause in the loan deal that offers Spurs the opportunity to sign Campbell permanently, the youngster will return to Old Trafford next summer improved by valuable first-team experience.

"Going on loan to a great club like Tottenham will give him experience in the Premier League and he'll come back a better player and hopefully force his way into the team here," commented United chief executive David Gill. "So we're delighted with the deal - it's good for him and good for us."

And more bad news for the under-fire Comolli.