Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate has turned down a loan move to Wolves.
Spurs defender wants to fight for place and earn new deal
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate has turned down a loan move to Wolves.
Manager Mick McCarthy revealed that Wolves approached Tottenham with a view to taking the Spurs centre-back until the end of the season.
McCarthy had hoped to give Woodgate some much-needed game-time while boosting his club's Premier League survival bid with an experienced defender.
The injury-plagued England international has made just three league starts since the beginning of last season having been dogged by a groin problem which threatened to end the 31-year-old's career.
With Woodgate nearing full fitness again, Arsenal had been linked with a loan move for Woodgate, although manager Arsene Wenger claimed the Gunners never considered it.
Wolves boss McCarthy confirmed on Friday that they had made a genuine attempt to take the former Leeds, Newcastle and Real Madrird man on loan.
World-class
But Spurs have got back to McCarthy to confirm that Woodgate, who is out of contract in the summer, wants to fight for his place and try to earn a new contract at White Hart Lane.
"I made an enquiry," McCarthy told
Sky Sports News. "He's been a world-class centre-half and, if he gets back to full fitness, he will be again.
"It seems he's made every effort to do that (get fully fit), whether he's at his top level I don't know, but I thought if there's a chance of getting a player of his ilk and we could get the best out of him for five, ten, maybe 15 games, it was worthy of doing.
"But he doesn't want to do it, he wants to fight for his place there, so fair do's to him.
"There's some suggestion I've spoken to him, I haven't. That's just the message I've got back.
"I'm not sure whether Harry (Redknapp) wants to let him go, but we've made an enquiry and it's not happening, for whatever reason."
