SOCCER:HARRY REDKNAPP agreed to become the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur only after receiving assurances from the chairman, Daniel Levy, that he would have control over the club's transfer policy.

A series of previous White Hart Lane managers have had cause to complain about conflicts with the various sporting directors but Levy has now scrapped the position with the sacking of Damien Comolli, who departed with the manager Juande Ramos and his assistants Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez on Saturday night.

"The chairman will do the deals," said Redknapp, who was in the dugout for the 2-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers yesterday, which halted the team's dismal run of eight Premier League matches without victory. "I will pick the players, and if he (Levy) can deliver them then great. I would not let anyone else buy my players. There is no question of a director of football. I just deal with the chairman."

One of the previous regime's major signings, Roman Pavlyuchenko, gave Redknapp the ideal start. In the first half, the Russian striker scored his first league goal for Tottenham, before Darren Bent added a penalty in the second. Spurs' cause was aided by the sending off of Bolton's Gavin McCann for two bookable offences.

Redknapp said Levy knows the team "needs strengthening in two or three positions" and did not rule out a January raid on his old club Portsmouth. Tottenham have a long-standing interest in the midfielder Lassana Diarra, while the crowd repeatedly chanted the name of the striker Jermain Defoe, who left Tottenham for Fratton Park in January.

"The last word on players has to be with the manager," Redknapp added. "At Portsmouth, Peter (Storrie, the chief executive) did all the deals but it was my choice on picking the player. If people are giving you players you do not fancy, it is impossible."

Redknapp said he heard of Tottenham's interest in him on Friday - "I thought it was a wind-up at first" - but it did not take him long to decide to accept. He had almost been offered the job in February last year, when Martin Jol was enduring a difficult time, only for the Dutchman to embark upon an encouraging unbeaten run.

After turning down the Newcastle United job at the beginning of the year, Redknapp, who has signed a three-year contract worth €3.77 million a year, believed that the timing was right for him.

"Tottenham is a big club, whether they are bottom of the league or not," he said. "The crowd, the stadium, the whole set up. I almost went to Newcastle. People said I didn't want to take on the big challenge. Maybe I didn't want to leave Portsmouth at that time. I was happy there and obviously we went on to win the FA Cup. I just feel that things are going to get a bit tighter there (financially). I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn't accepted this offer.

"Peter (Storrie) said to me 'You want to have a good look at it'. We are big friends and he was right."

Tottenham have paid Portsmouth €6.3 million compensation for Redknapp, who said he would take Kevin Bond, the former Bournemouth manager, on to his coaching staff.

"There is not a lot of staff left here," he added. "There are some vacancies. There are one or two ex-Tottenham players who have great futures in the game. I would like to talk to them."

He joked that his son Jamie, the former Spurs captain, was paid "too much money by Sky TV" as a pundit to be one of them.

"For me, staying in the Premier League is my first priority," said Redknapp. "The record was two points from eight games. We are in trouble. Anything else, like success in the cups, is a bonus. The priority is league points. At least this win gives us a bit of confidence going into the Arsenal game (on Wednesday night). It has bought a smile back to the players' faces."

Tottenham played with greater freedom against Bolton and the captain Ledley King said that the performance "was more like us".

"The players," he added, "seem to have a weight off their shoulders today for some reason."