Lennon signs new Spurs deal

New signing: Aaron Lennon has committed his future to Tottenham until 2014

13 April 2012

Aaron Lennon today signed a new contract with Tottenham until 2014 as the club told Liverpool to forget about a summer swoop for the England winger.

Anfield boss Rafael Benitez is a big admirer of Lennon and in January was linked with a swap deal for the 21-year-old involving Robbie Keane.

Although the striker did return to Spurs from Liverpool, Lennon stayed put and has now ended speculation over his future with a new deal despite having three years left on his old one.

Lennon, who joined for £1million from Leeds in 2005, has thrived since Harry Redknapp's appointment in October. The manager said: "This is great news for the club. He wants to stay and we want to keep him. He's a young player with a great future and has been fantastic."

Redknapp also made it clear playmaker Luka Modric, who is a target for Juventus, is staying. He said: "Why would anyone want to leave the Premier League and play in Italy now? We are way in front of Serie A. He's a player we want to build a team around."

Redknapp spent around £45m in the transfer window — second only to Manchester City — and although he expects to be given cash in the summer he insisted he didn't need much.

He added: "Any fool can spend money and they have done here without getting results. There are some decent bargains out there."

Lennon's new deal is the perfect boost for the club before the game against Chelsea tomorrow when they will try to maintain their unbeaten record against the Big Four' this season.

Even though they have spent the entire campaign fighting relegation, Spurs have somehow managed to match Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal on five occasions this season. Although they have won only one of those games — a 2-1 triumph against Liverpool on 1 November — their displays in two draws with Arsenal and stalemates against United and Chelsea proved Redknapp's men could compete with the elite in one-off matches.

Since Guus Hiddink took over from Luiz Felipe Scolari on 16 February, Chelsea's confidence has grown to such a degree that they again resemble the tough, durable outfit that won back-to-back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006.

Michael Essien's immediate return to form after a long spell out with a knee injury has lent an extra edge to the improvements Hiddink has made and the Blues will start favourites after winning six and drawing one of their seven games with the Dutchman in charge.

But under Redknapp, Spurs have lost just one of their 16 home games and have grown in confidence since losing on penalties to Manchester United in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley.

Spurs have improved markedly in central midfield in recent weeks, with Wilson Palacios forming an effective partnership with Jermaine Jenas during the club's five-match unbeaten run. The presence of a revitalised Essien and Frank Lampard will, however, push the Spurs duo to the limit.

Essien, who has scored in both the games he has started since regaining fitness, said: "It has been great to be back and scoring. I knew I was going to be out for a long time and I just took my instructions from the doctors and the physios. We are still in all the big competitions, so we are looking forward to the games ahead."

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