Harry Redknapp has claimed a Champions League winner was ready to join Tottenham Hotspur but Daniel Levy blocked the move.
Spurs have missed out on some pretty notable signings during Daniel Levy’s 24-year reign as chairman.
Much of the frustration amongst Tottenham fans comes from times when the club have failed to push on when in a brilliant position to do so.
One of those crossroad moments came under Harry Redknapp during the 2011-12 campaign.
Spurs were a surprise outsider for the Premier League title and Redknapp had talents like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric at his disposal. But during the January transfer window that season, Tottenham moved to snap up veterans Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen on free transfers.
Tottenham ended up finishing fourth, 20 points off eventual champions Manchester City. Redknapp was relived of his duties after Chelsea’s shock Champions League victory led to the club missing out on Europe’s top competition.
However, things could have worked out very differently for Redknapp had he landed his preferred targets.
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Redknapp says Eden Hazard has agreed to Tottenham move
Speaking on The Fighting Cock, Redknapp discussed his relationship with Levy during his tenure at Spurs.
Host Flav Bateman quizzed the former Tottenham boss on his attempts to sign Eden Hazard before he joined Chelsea, as well as former Liverpool and Barcelona star Luis Suarez.
“We missed out on Eden Hazard, you said you wanted to sign him, we were pushing for the league then,” he said. “We were also close, or trying to have conversations about Luis Suarez.
“There was that window where we were pushing for the league and ended up with, all respect to these two players, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen.
“It kind of felt as if you were at odds with Daniel Levy, you had an idea about what should be happening on the pitch and perhaps he had a different idea about the kind of player we need to be able to bring in. What was that situation and what was your relationship like with Daniel Levy?”
Redknapp responded: “My relationship with Daniel was good. I honestly never had a problem with Daniel. But as you say, no disrespect to Ryan and Louis, they were both good people, great players over the years.
“But I felt we needed to push on but at that time the club didn’t want to invest and spend that money. So, it didn’t happen. They were the players I wanted to bring in.”
He added: “I went over to watch him [Hazard] play, I think went over three times to France and got to meet him in a hotel room. Completely illegal I know, he wanted to come to Tottenham, I wanted him desperately.
“I thought he was a genius. Joe Cole had rung me and said Harry I’m playing with the best player I’ve ever played with here [at Lille] and that’s when I first went over to watch him. But Daniel at the time, or the club didn’t want to sign him and that’s how it goes.”
Bateman asked: “So he wanted to come [to Spurs]?”
“Oh yeah, at that time, yeah,” Redknapp said. “It didn’t happen and then obviously Chelsea came in later.”
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Frustration for Tottenham fans
Spurs supporters will need no reminding of what Hazard went on to achieve at Chelsea as he scooped two Premier League titles, one at their expense in 2017.
The Belgian also went on to win a Champions League with Real Madrid and it’s apparent that Tottenham missed out on a world-class player.
That has been the frustration for Spurs supporters over the years after the club also failed to back Mauricio Pochettino during a period where he had them competing for league titles.