Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has hit out at criticism of his move for William Gallas, saying: "It's not the Yorkshire Ripper I'm signing."
Anyone who crosses the north London divide is inevitably branded a villain but Gallas arrives already possessing a reputation for playing the bad guy.
As well as snubbing a new contract at Arsenal, the defender was stripped of the captaincy after publicly criticising his own team-mates.
He was also dubbed a sulker for staging a sit-in following a defeat at Birmingham two and a half years ago, while he quit Chelsea in acrimonious terms in 2006.
It is perhaps no surprise therefore that there has been a mixed response to the prospect of him joining Arsenal's arch-rivals.
But Redknapp insisted today Gallas' reputation was almost entirely unjustified.
"It's all cobblers," he said. "What's he done? It's not the Yorkshire Ripper I'm signing, is it? He's a footballer, he plays football."
Admitting, however, that the move was a "gamble", he added: "I met him and he was a great lad, a great guy - I liked him. A very quiet man...
"I must say, whenever we've played against him, I always felt he was a fantastic defender.
"I spoke to a few people about him - who have played with him and everything else - and everyone came back with the same views as I've got.
"And if he has got a temperament, from what they tell me and the people I spoke to who've played with him is that he gets the hump with people who are not as professional as he is."
On the Birmingham incident, Redknapp added: "He could have walked off the pitch, couldn't he?
"But he didn't, did he? He was distraught at the result. He cared."
Redknapp revealed Gallas had wanted to join Spurs, despite being offered less money than Arsenal had tabled.
He said: "I'm not saying it was a clever move on his part at the time; financially, it probably wasn't."
Confirming 33-year-old Gallas had agreed a one-year deal, with a guarantee of an extra year if he started 30 games, the Spurs boss added: "Honestly, he could have got a lot more money elsewhere, so it's not like he's come here for big paydays.
"I promise you, that is one thing he hasn't got at all.
"He wanted to play and he's took the hardest challenge of all on, to come to Tottenham. But it doesn't bother him.
"He could've said, 'No, I'm not going to do that. They might not like me there. I'll go and play somewhere else'.
But he went, 'no', I want to play there."
Redknapp believes Gallas will arrive at White Hart Lane with "a point to prove" to his former employers.
"He's put himself under massive pressure to come here.
"Patrick Vieira wanted to come here last year. He was a legend at Arsenal, more of a legend than William Gallas - let's be honest.
"Vieira was in the teams that were winning everything, The Invincibles. And he wanted to come here and would've come here."
Redknapp also hailed the France international's versatility and trophy-winning experience, insisting he would be happy for him to stamp his authority on his team-mates.
"All the good clubs have had people who run the dressing room," he said.
"We haven't got too many like that here. We're a very quiet team."
Gallas will be Spurs' second summer signing following the capture of Sandro from Internacional.
They have been linked with moves for a host of players, the latest being Everton's Steven Pienaar and former Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra.
Redknapp rubbished the Pienaar link, while claiming he does not believe Real Madrid want to sell Diarra.
But he did not rule out further arrivals and departures before the transfer window closes.
He could certainly do with some fresh blood for Saturday's Premier League trip to Stoke, with Young Boys' plastic pitch seemingly having taken its toll on his side in Tuesday night's Champions League qualifier.
"I'm one short of even having enough subs," said Redknapp, whose only fit striker is Peter Crouch.
Gallas will not be ready to play for a fortnight, while Ledley King is unlikely to be risked ahead of Wednesday's return match with Young Boys.
The Spurs boss also revealed Jamie O'Hara may need to undergo a back operation, saying: "At the moment, he's not in great shape unfortunately."
