A former England international has claimed that Harry Redknapp wanted to sign him for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham fans will look back on Harry Redknapp’s tenure with great fondness after the Englishman guided them to new heights in the Premier League era.
Under Redknapp’s guidance, Spurs qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 2010 and went on to make the quarter-finals.
Redknapp was also known for his dealings in the transfer market at Tottenham and picked up some memorable signings during his time in north London.
A deadline-day deal for Rafael van der Vaart to join from Real Madrid is one that particularly stands out.
Now, a former Premier League striker has admitted he had the chance to make the switch to Spurs during the Redknapp era.
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Gabriel Agbonlahor on failed Tottenham move
Speaking on talkSPORT, Gabriel Agbonlahor was asked if he ever had the opportunity to leave Aston Villa.
The former striker earned three England caps and barring a couple of loan spells, he spent his whole career at his boyhood club. But he has revealed that he had an opportunity to link up with Redknapp at Tottenham.
“There was a chance to go to Spurs. That was one. Harry Redknapp was involved,” he said.
“I’ve seen Jamie O’Hara’s white bed linen and thought I can’t be around these big-time Charlies [he joked].
“For me, I was homesick going out of Birmingham, never mind leaving Aston Villa so it wasn’t in my interest to leave.”
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Agbonlahor’s Premier League record at Aston Villa
Despite not being the most prolific of strikers, Agbonlahor racked up an impressive total of 322 Premier League appearances during his time at Villa Park.
The Englishman netted 73 times during this period, while also providing 44 assists.
It wouldn’t have been a huge surprise to see Agbonlahor rock up at Spurs during the Redknapp era as the club would often move for cut-price deals.
But given the fact that Redknapp had the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko at his disposal, it’s difficult to see where Agbonlahor would have featured in his plans.