Bad news for Stephen Appiah.

Spurs appear to be backing away from any deal to sign Stephen Appiah after they put the finishing touches to the transfer of Wilson Palacios from Wigan Athletic, a £12m deal revealed by TPC before it broke publicly last week.

Harry Redknapp has discussed Appiah with all of his coaching staff for their opinions on the Ghanaian midfielder but the overriding problem is still his fitness after almost 18 months out of the game. Appiah performed admirably in the closed-door match against Grays Athletic last week but had to leave the field towards the end after suffering from cramp.

And with Palacios confirming his move to White Hart Lane, after we were forced to up his wages following a counter bid from Wigan, it could be that Spurs feel Appiah would be a risk that they no longer need to take. The midfielder is unhappy at Spurs’ delaying a decision on him and is looking at other options despite still training with the club.