Harry Redknapp
Tottenham Hotspur manager Redknapp talks to his assistant coach Bond during their English FA Cup fifth round replay match against Stevenage at White Hart Lane in London. REUTERS

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen has implored Tottenham Hotspur to tie manager Harry Redknapp down to a new long-term deal before he is tempted to accept the vacant England post.

Spurs slumped to their third successive Premier League defeat at Everton on Saturday to provide further evidence that they face a fight to secure Champions League football next season.

Tottenham are currently third in the table, four points ahead of bitter rivals Arsenal having played a game more but Redknapp insists he is not concerned about his side's recent run of poor form.

"I'm not bothered about the run. We played well in the second half and we didn't do a lot wrong in the first half," the Tottenham boss told the BBC. "We have to keep going. We've not been out of luck."

But former Liverpool centre-back Hansen believes speculation surrounding Redknapp and the vacant England manager's position is having an adverse effect on Tottenham's form.

And Hansen has called on the Tottenham board to seize the initiative and offer Redknapp improved terms at White Hart Lane, before he is attracted to the national job.

"It is up to Spurs to take the bull by the horns, while the Football Association appear to be dithering, and come up with a deal that will entice him to stay," Hansen told the Telegraph.

"I don't know if Harry has his heart and mind set on the England job, but Spurs have a chance to act before the horse bolts. They really have to do all they can to shift the focus elsewhere."

And Hansen insists that there is a simple remedy for getting Tottenham's season back on track: offering Redknapp a new four-year contract and the promise of significant transfer funds to invest in the summer.

"Whether the speculation over the England manager's job is affecting Harry Redknapp or not, it is certainly affecting Tottenham Hotspur and their players," he added.

"There is an easy way for Tottenham to deal with this and take control of the issue, however. If I was in charge at White Hart Lane, I would be offering Harry a four-year contract with a war-chest for him to go and get the players he needs to take Spurs to the next level."