As you know by now, Ramos has been shown the door by Spurs – propping it open for Harry Redknapp to stroll in from the South Coast.

It certainly came as a shock on Saturday evening; while we all expected Ramos’ days to be numbered, the news of Harry’s immediate arrival from Portsmouth certainly wasn’t anticipated.

Remarkably, Redknapp will be at White Hart Lane as you read this and he will have an influence of the lineup and team talk for their clash with Bolton. He leaves a Portsmouth side, no doubt shell-shocked by his departure, facing a home game with Fulham a couple of hours later.

Let’s be under no illusions – this will have an impact on the fortunes of both clubs giving fantasy managers plenty to consider…

Redknapp will likely have a watching brief from the stands at White Hart Lane today, with the side under control of Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe. His influence will surely be felt immediately though.

There will be a buzz around the ground which will surely spread to the players. They will need to raise their game as they look to play themselves into Harry’s plans – there’s certainly plenty amongst them with something to prove.

David Bentley, having recently lambasting the Ramos regime in the press, will surely take this opportunity to step forward and up his game. He’ll get his chances – Harry will likely have him straight in his side and in his favoured position on the right of midfield. This will represent a new start for him and in fantasy terms, a change in fortunes is surely on the cards. Whether he can capture his Blackburn form is another matter and will depend on how much Harry can unlock Tottentham’s attacking potential.

Modric should be a factor in that. Harry has nurtured the precocious skills of Kranjcar at Fratton Park and now he has access to arguably, a greater Croatian talent in Modric. He failed to find his role under Ramos and has been ineffectual. Establishing Modric in the side will be a puzzle that Harry will have to solve. He may have to make changes in January before he can achieve that.

Redknapp has already identified a key area of improvement – central midfield and generally, a lack of a strong ball-winning player…

“They have a decent squad on paper, but it is not a well balanced – I think maybe a soft centre and think we need a bit more strength and aggression,” he remarked last night.

Harry has employed hard-working ball winners in his midfield at Portsmouth – in the form of Diarra, Diop and last season, Muntari. A similar player – or even Diarra himself, will surely be one of his first signings. If he can reinforce this area with some strength in January, then we should see dividends in terms of Tottenham’s defensive rigidity and clean sheets and perhaps increased freedom for Modric.

In the short term, Harry will have to work with what he’s got and I’m expecting a straight 4-4-2 with Bentley on one wing and possibly Lennon on the other. I can also see Huddlestone featuring in midfield more prominently to provide some presence. Bent and Pavlyuchenko may well be given an opportunity to flourish as a partnership. I also feel that Redknapp will look at Frazier Campbell as a potential Defoe-like striker, as he explores a big one/not so big one, solution up front.

In the long term, Defoe is likely to be another target. The player himself would surely jump at the chance of rejoining Spurs and play under Harry again. That leaves us having to examine the likely effects on Portsmouth. Potentially, they could be devastating.

Redknapp is an inspirational manager and in Jordan and Adams, the club have worthy caretakers but they don’t strike me as natural successors. Sadly, given the rumoured financial conditions at the club, they may well be seen as the ready-made solution.

For fantasy managers at least, Adams would be the best short-term option. He’s unlikely to shake-up the lineup and certainly the clean sheet count should improve. Long term however, you have to wonder whether he could get the kind of performances from the players that Harry achieved.

Defoe owners in particular will be nervous. There’s every chance that he will be greatly distracted by Harry’s move and the prospect of rejoining him at Spurs as the January window gets ever closer. The tabloid speculation will surely fuel the prospect of his future and that of Diarra: that isn’t going to help Portsmouth’s prospects.

It seems Portsmouth may have little choice when it comes to selling their assets. Redknapp’s comments last night reveal that he was facing having to sell players in January,

“The funds are tight, we were talking about selling players in January, and we were hoping to do a deal or two,” he revealed last night.

Although Portsmouth will benefit in £5 million in compensation as a result of Harry’s move, it seems likely that players will leave the club, should the right offer come in for any of their big names. It also seems inevitable that Harry will exploit this opportunity, whatever his feelings for the club and the Portsmouth fans.

We’re facing a period of uncertainty for both clubs then. We will see the Spurs lineup change and their attacking players – Bentley, Bent and maybe Modric – begin to emerge as credible fantasy targets. That may not happen overnight – Tottenham’s forthcoming fixtures against Arsenal, Liverpool and City will present a stern test of Harry’s inspirational abilities. Beyond that however, we’ll need to look at Tottenham’s players in a new light.

Down on the south coast meanwhile, the effects of this move may not be so immediately obvious but will need monitoring over the coming weeks. The Portsmouth lineup shouldn’t change too radically – certainly if Adams gets control. Although Harry’s potential plans to accommodate Kranjcar on the right or down the centre, could now go out of the window and that could threaten Traore’s role on the left of midfield in a few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Traore at left back from now on which will force us to reassess his value.

Portsmouth’s fixtures over the next five, should bring defensive and attacking profits for fantasy managers, but now we have a major unknown to consider when it comes to their players. Just how they react to the move, and just how much they will miss Harry in the dressing room is yet to be seen. That could reveal itself in a matter of hours.