Redknapp claims Man City warned him off Bellamy

CHIGWELL, England - Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp claims Manchester City used bullying tactics to stop him signing striker Craig Bellamy last season, turning up the heat on the teams' Premier League clash at Eastlands on Wednesday.

Redknapp, whose team will prevail in the battle to finish fourth and clinch a Champions League playoff spot if they beat City, said the world's richest soccer club warned him off signing the Wales forward from West Ham United in January last year when he was also trying to buy Wilson Palacios from Wigan Athletic.

"We were having a bidding war on Bellamy over the fee. They came in and said: 'You know, if you don't drop out of Bellamy, we'll sign Palacios as well and you won't get any of them'," Redknapp said at the club's training ground.