Redknapp's amazing Amdy tale

Redknapp was his typically unorthodox self in ensuring nobody snatched the African star from under his nose, staving off interest from the likes of Middlesbrough by a combination of quick-thinking, sneakiness and a pair of bulldogs.

"On Thursday morning the faxes start coming in to our hotel in Troon addressed to Amdy and the telephones are ringing off the hook," Redknapp admitted.

"So I go to reception and I said 'look, no telephone calls to Amdy Faye's room, no calls at all'. Suddenly I've also got 16 faxes in my hand from Middlesbrough, their chief executive Keith Lamb and all sorts of other people, all for Amdy.

"I'm binning them, ripping them up, putting them in my pocket, everywhere. I won't let him move. I'm trying to get a deal done with the Auxerre president.

"Next day, we're having lunch and the girl comes in off the reception. 'Ah Mr Redknapp, do you still want me to stop all calls to Mr Faye's room?' she says. All the lads are looking at me.

"Sunday, we finally get him back to Portsmouth and we still haven't signed him, still trying to do the deal.

"The Auxerre president's saying 'Amdy, you have to come back here, we have another bigger club than Portsmouth who have made a better offer'. But Amdy's saying he likes Portsmouth.

"Later on the Sunday, I've come out of a game at Tottenham and I'm going round to Jamie's house for a barbecue.

"I get a phone call saying 'Harry, Amdy's done a runner out of the hotel in Portsmouth, he's on his way to Terminal Two at Heathrow in a taxi.

"I said 'I told you not to let him out of your sight'. Anyway, I said to my wife Sandra 'forget the barbecue, quick we're going to Heathrow'.

"We get there, looking for Amdy. So I ring his phone number. He answers the phone. He says he's on his way to Paris.

"I go and find him. Capture him. I said 'Amdy, you've got to come with me'. He says 'where coach, why coach?' I said 'come with me'.

"I bundle him into the car. Back to my home in Bournemouth. Get him in the house and we've got two bulldogs.

"I said 'Amdy if you escape, these dogs, one of them will bite your legs, the other bites your b******s'.

"He stays the night and the next day I'm knocking on the door to get him up in the morning. I'm saying to Sandra 'I can't hear him in there, I think he might have legged it'.

"Anyway, eventually he comes out and I sat with him all day and finally we got the deal done. What a bloody adventure."