ARSENAL V TOTTENHAM:JUANDE RAMOS has criticised Tottenham's transfer policy under sporting director Damien Comolli and insists he was not given enough experience in his squad. Ramos lost his job as head coach at the weekend along with Comolli, whose signings since the previous summer struggled to make an impact.

Tottenham were at the bottom of the Premier League after selling Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane for more €62 million and then failing to find adequate replacements.

"In the summer we experienced a difficult pre-season due to the changes in the squad, which prevented us from working with the tranquility that the summer preparation needs," Ramos said in an open letter on his personal website.

"Furthermore the young age of some of the signings, despite their quality, means they needed some time to adapt and mature, which because of the urgency of the competitions they have not been given.

"Also the departures of Robbie Keane and Berbatov, important players in the team for their technical and human qualities and their scoring abilities, was too hard a blow for the squad.

"All this triggered a situation which I hope will be turned around as soon as possible because the club and fans deserved it."

Former Spurs boss Martin Jol had wanted a left-sided midfielder in the summer before his departure but Comolli never found the right man.

Comolli's failure has been highlighted by chairman Daniel Levy scrapping the continental structure Ramos was working under.

Meanwhile, Ramos and Tottenham need to come to an agreement over his pay-off, and the Spaniard has also been linked with moving to Shakhtar Donetsk or Atletico Madrid.

Ramos, whose team won the League Cup earlier this year, also added: "After almost 20 years in the game I know the unwritten rules of football and that's why I accept the decision taken by the leaders of Tottenham. We arrived with the highest hopes to a team in the relegation zone, in a situation similar to that which is found at these moments, and we had a good start which saw us get to the middle of the table.

"Furthermore, we were able to qualify for Europe when it seemed almost impossible. We achieved it with a great effort on the part of all the team despite the enormous difficulties that we had. We also achieved the difficult challenge of lifting a title, which after nine years without tasting success was an enormous joy for all the club and the fans.

"For this we can catalogue last season as tremendously successful."

Arsene Wenger, whose Arsenal side face Spurs tonight at the Emirates Stadium, has admitted his surprise at the decision to dismiss Ramos after less than a year as manager, stating that the Spaniard was not given enough time to make his mark at White Hart Lane.

"I was very surprised, as I rate him," said Wenger, who has seen Spurs make seven managerial appointments since he arrived at Arsenal 12 years ago.

"When we played against Sevilla his team played fantastic football. He had quite a good start last year, but when a team isn't going for Europe and wins the Carling Cup, they can switch off. Then, without noticing, slowly you lose results. If then you do not start well next season, like has happened to him, maybe he lost confidence or they lost confidence in him.

"I feel sorry for him. I believe he was given short time, eight games. It sometimes takes time to get your ideas through. If he had arrived at the beginning of this season [and not won in his first eight], would he have been sacked now?

"People are suddenly less patient. If he had arrived in July, I don't think he would have been sacked."

Wenger will now confront a Spurs side who showed signs of revival under former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp in his first game against Bolton on Sunday.

Redknapp was working as Billy Bonds's assistant at West Ham when Tottenham last won at Arsenal, in May 1993, and Wenger does not believe Spurs' 5-1 League Cup semi-final win will have any bearing on tonight's match in London.

"That was down to the Carling Cup," added Wenger, who has lost only two league games to Spurs. "We consider the Carling Cup a different competition.

"For us, it's an educational competition.

"Harry has a good record of creating balanced teams, and a lot of experience, and everybody in England would say that he is usually very good at buying players. But while in the longer term it will change things for Tottenham, I believe this particular game is more about how well we play."

Guardian Service