Harry Redknapp is planning to pair Jermain Defoe with Roman Pavlyuchenko when Tottenham Hotspur’s £15 million signing begins his second spell for the club away to Wigan Athletic in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday. The England striker trained with his Tottenham team-mates yesterday for the first time since re-signing as the finishing touches were put to his transfer from Portsmouth.

Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, has struggled to find a reliable strike partner for Pavlyuchenko since taking charge in October, with Darren Bent and Fraizer Campbell being given opportunities, but he is convinced that Defoe is up to the task. “I hope he can play with Pavlyuchenko,” Redknapp said. “They paid £16 million for Bent, £14 million for Pavlyuchenko and they say they couldn’t play together. I couldn’t be that stupid, surely.”

Defoe will also be available for the Carling Cup final if Tottenham hold on to their 4-1 first-leg lead against Burnley, making up for missing two cup finals last season. The 26-year-old had been sold to Portsmouth by the time Tottenham beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup final in February and was cup-tied when the South Coast club beat Cardiff City to win the FA Cup at Wembley in May.

Michael Dawson is also hoping to play at Wembley after missing last year’s final because of a hamstring injury. “I knew a week before the cup final that I wasn’t going to make it and it was heartbreaking for me, phoning my family and saying I wouldn’t be involved,” the defender said. “We all hurt deep inside when we’re not involved, but it’s about the football club winning trophies. That keeps everybody happy.

“We’ve still got to make sure we go to Wembley. We can’t count our chickens too early as we’ve still got 90 minutes to play. You can never expect anything, but hopefully I keep doing well and hopefully the manager keeps picking me.”

David Bentley, the Tottenham winger, who was substituted at half-time against Burnley, missed training yesterday with a stomach bug, but is expected to return to the club today.