Redknapp: Modric Wanted to Skip City Game

Redknapp believes the Croatian is being advised to do everything he can to engineer a move to Chelsea.

Modric has been at the centre of a summer-long transfer tussle between his current employers and Chelsea, who have had two bids for the player turned down over the last two months.

This morning it was reported the Blues were ready to mount one last £40million bid for the playmaker before the transfer window closes on Wednesday night.

Modric missed Monday night's defeat to Manchester United because he was not "right in the head", according to Redknapp, but the 64-year-old gave his star playmaker the okay after he came through training fine this week.

Modric started and came through 65 minutes today, but only after Redknapp convinced him that he had to play.

Redknapp said: "Luka came to me at 11.30 this morning and said to me, 'I don't feel my head is right today'. I said, 'I feel you need to play today, Luka. I need you to play. You need to come and play'.

"I told him we had injuries and I said, 'I need you to come and play. We need you on the pitch, get out and play'.

"I told him he was our main man."

The Tottenham boss is convinced the former Dinamo Zagreb player must have been advised to say he was not up to playing in order to try to force through a move to Stamford Bridge.

"I'm sure he is getting advised to maybe not play today. We have seen it with other clubs," Redknapp added.

"He was okay yesterday morning to play and obviously something happened last night. Who knows what went on.

"Some of the papers today were saying that they are ready to make a £40million offer.

"While he still sees a chink of light to go to Chelsea, he is probably doing what maybe people are telling him the best way of getting out of here is."

Redknapp is still convinced that Modric will stay at the club, but concedes the whole saga, and transfer speculation over the future of his other players, has cast a dark cloud over the club's start to the season.

"There has been a feeling around the place that the place hasn't been right since the start of pre-season," Redknapp added.

"It has been a bit of a difficult period really.

"When people want to go it can be a problem but hopefully in another day or two when the window closes he will still be here and we'll all move on.

"I don't think he's going to go. The chairman said he isn't. When he comes back from international duty the window will be closed."

Today's result will have done little to convince Modric that Spurs can offer him the same chances of success as is being offered at Stamford Bridge.

Two years ago the north London outfit beat City to fourth place and they ran them close for the majority of last season.

Today, however, the gulf in class was clear. Edin Dzeko, a £27million January buy from Wolfsburg, put four past the home side and debutant Samir Nasri provided the Bosnia-Herzegovina striker with three assists on his debut following his transfer from Arsenal this week.

City have won all three of their Barclays Premier League matches, scoring 12 goals in the process.

Manager Roberto Mancini, however, was quick to play down suggestions that such form means his side are certain title contenders, saying: ``This is a very long season and it's important that we started well. The next games will be very hard because now everyone thinks we will score three or four goals, but that is impossible."

Redknapp, meanwhile, was not too despondent about his team's chances of making the top four despite staring the season with two heavy defeats.

He hopes the arrival of new players - including Scott Parker, who was left out of West Ham's squad to play Nottingham Forest today, will give his team a lift.

"I still think we will be there. We will get one or two in the window," Redknapp added.

"We are hoping to sign another player today. I wouldn't want to say who but we are looking to make another signing.

"I have said to the chairman that the place needs a little lift now. I feel I have got everything I can out of them now."

One blow for Redknapp is that Rafael van der Vaart looks to be out for a few weeks at least having suffered a hamstring injury that resulted in his second-half withdrawal.

"Rafa tore a hamstring," Redknapp said.