Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images
Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images
Tottenham target Andrea Cambiaso
Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images
Tottenham interested in £125m statement signing, but Arsenal could lead the race
Tottenham interested in £125m statement signing, but Arsenal could lead the race
Tottenham receive comforting news out of Barcelona amid Pedro Porro transfer rumours
Tottenham receive comforting news out of Barcelona amid Pedro Porro transfer rumours
Tottenham almost had their own Sol Campbell moment by signing iconic Arsenal captain
Tottenham almost had their own Sol Campbell moment by signing iconic Arsenal captain
Tottenham receive a nibble after slashing Richarlison asking price for January
Tottenham receive a nibble after slashing Richarlison asking price for January
Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Tottenham and Arsenal target Antonio Nusa
Photo by Jan Fromme – firo sportphoto/Getty Images
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Tottenham and Arsenal target Kenan Yildiz
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Pedro Porro Tottenham
Credit: Michael AC Braithwaite / @ac_sports_photo
Pedro Porro Tottenham
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Redknapp said: “That would have been a mind-blowing signing, really, when you look back on it. Patrick Vieira. I met Patrick at his house. He wanted to come. He was keen. It looked like he was going to come. I said to him, what bottle he had. He was a legend at Arsenal, and he was willing to go to Tottenham.
“He was up for it, and then he got a better offer or whatever. I went to his house, sat in his house, had a cup of tea with him for two or three hours. He was keen. He’d been a great player at Arsenal, but he was willing to come and play at Tottenham. He wanted to. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have met me that day. He was up for it.”
This is particularly interesting given how adored Vieira is at Arsenal. The Frenchman was at the heart of much of the Gunners’ success during his time at the club, famously captaining the Invincibles in the 2003/04 season.
He won three league titles, two domestic doubles and four FA Cups, and was included in the PFA Team of the Year for six consecutive seasons. Given his stature as an Arsenal legend, a move to Spurs would have handed Tottenham fans the ultimate bragging rights after the Campbell saga.
The move obviously did not materialise, with Vieira instead joining Manchester City.
Redknapp missed out on Hazard as Spurs refused to pay £18million
But the Frenchman was not the only player Redknapp had his eye on during his time in charge of Tottenham, which ran from 2008 to 2012.
He also revealed that he had been keen on Chelsea icon Eden Hazard while the Belgian was at Lille, going to watch him after a phone call from Joe Cole.
However, that move fell through as former Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was not willing to pay the £18million demanded by the French side.
Redknapp said: “Well, I met Eden Hazard. Joe Cole rang me. He was at Lille, and he said, ‘I’m playing with the best player I’ve ever played with.’ I went over and watched him, went back again the week after, and met him in a hotel room with his agent, and he wanted to come. But at the time, Daniel [Levy] and that didn’t want to spend the money on him. I think it was about £18 million. He was cheap, but he was a player, a great young player.”