Jamie Redknapp has been slammed as a “double-barrel idiot” after making controversial claims about Sir Alan Sugar’s time at Tottenham Hotspur. The former England and Liverpool midfielder sparked fury when he suggested that Spurs were left “in a right mess” following Lord Sugar’s departure, claiming Daniel Levy inherited chaos when he took control of the North London club.
But the comments haven’t gone down well with the Apprentice star, who accused Redknapp of “talking a load of rubbish” and showing a lack of respect for the ex-chairman’s tenure. Sir Alan tore into the Sky Sports pundit, firing: “Jamie Redknapp is a double-barrel idiot. He talks a load of rubbish. He said when Daniel Levy took over Spurs, Alan Sugar left the club in a right mess.”
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The outrage didn’t stop there. The fiery critic warned both Redknapp and his employers at Sky Sports that legal action was on the way, adding: “He and Sky will be hearing from my lawyers on Monday.”
It comes as Lord Sugar has signed a new three-year deal with the BBC to stay on The Apprentice. The billionaire was already contracted to do the 20th series of the show next year, but says he has signed to do three more series, taking him into his 80s.
Lord Sugar, 77, revealed the deal in an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan. Now in its 19th series, criticism of The Apprentice falls "like water off a duck's back" these days, he said.
He invests £250,000 in the winner's business, receiving half of the company in return. And he says he's "absolutely" proud of the programme's legacy.
"Listen, when I took the job of The Apprentice, I was already a multi-millionaire. I didn't do it for the money."
Known for his no-nonsense business dealings and his "you're fired/hired" catchphrase, Lord Sugar insists his on-screen persona is how he is in real life. "That is me mate, I'm promising you," he told Rajan in the BBC Two interview.
"I have sat on the production line, I've made stuff, I've packed boxes, I've loaded lorries, I've delivered, I've collected money. Every single facet of business, I have done all of it. So when I got that Apprentice gig, sitting there listening to these budding entrepreneurs, I was able to interrogate them properly."