Redknapp jokes that Wenger has turned from 'professor to nutter'

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Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, points towards Arsène Wenger as an example of how pressure affects those in charge of Premier League clubs, jokingly describing his Arsenal counterpart as a "nutter" compared to the image of the Frenchman 14 years ago.

Wenger arrived in England as a calculated "professor" of football, yet his passion for winning has never been questioned, especially since 2005 when he won his last trophy.

This week he has been fined and given a touchline ban by the Football Association for his conduct towards the fourth official when Sunderland scored an injury-time equaliser against Arsenal. "We can all remember when Arsène first came to England and they said that he was like a professor watching the game, and all the other nutters are jumping up and down shouting and screaming, hollering and hooting and this man is not like them idiots," Redknapp said.

"He just sits there and is studying every move that goes on the pitch like chess. They never lost a game all season. I could have sat there with a cigar but suddenly when you start losing a few games it all changes. Now he has joined the nutters. In fact, he is one of the key nutters," joked Redknapp.

Wenger served his suspension against Spurs in the Carling Cup and the next opponent for Redknapp is his friend Avram Grant, seemingly void of emotion until Portsmouth's meltdown last season.

Grant, who worked with Redknapp at Pompey, has remained calm about his West Ham side's start to the season that has left them bottom after five games with just one point, earned last weekend at Stoke when their manager was absent while observing Yom Kippur. The Hammers manager's optimism stems from the form of midfielder Scott Parker, who was the subject of a failed £7m bid from Spurs in the summer.

The Hammers accused Spurs of unsettling the 29-year-old, who has since signed a new contract to remain at Upton Park until 2014. "They knew our financial situation and they tried to take advantage of this but I'm very happy," Grant said. "Other clubs wanted him also.

"There's a lot of talk about money in football, I think money is important but I don't think it's everything. I don't want players who say 'they are paying me 100 more there so I will go' or 'they're paying me less so I won't go there'. They need to see everything, the picture, what is the vision of the club. Scott Parker saw all the picture and he stayed."

Redknapp has made no secret of his admiration for the midfielder, although he feels accusations of unsettling Parker are wide of the mark as players.

"Agents speak to managers, don't they? They ring a manager and say: 'Are you interested in X or Y', and the manager says, 'Yeah'," Redknapp said.

"If they do Ashley Cole [for tapping-up] then they should be doing every club really because it happens."