Former QPR manager Harry Redkanpp has revealed that the current Chelsea line-up would look very different if he had got his way and the Blues pair of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois had joined him at Tottenham whilst he was in charge, reports fourfourtwo.
Always renowned for his love of a sneaky transfer or two, Redknapp has revealed that up until his dismissal from Tottenham three summers ago he had long been in pursuit of a couple of players who have since become Premier League stars, winning the title with Chelsea in the process.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
The Belgian pair of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are the players in question, both of which apparently met with Redknapp and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy a number of years ago with the prospect of securing a move to White Hart Lane on the cards.
In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine Redknapp revealed his contact with the pair saying: "There are a few players around in the Premier League that I [liked], like [Eden] Hazard," Redknapp said in an interview with FourFourTwo. "I met Hazard out in Paris in a hotel for two hours. He was wanting to come to Tottenham.
"Also Courtois the goalkeeper, we had his mum and dad over. We had a meeting with (chairman) Daniel Levy, him and his mum and dad. We were in for him when he was probably 17. We could have had him."
However, for reasons unknown neither move transpired as the pair eventually opted to head to their west London rivals Chelsea where they are now the envy of clubs worldwide. Unfortunately for Tottenham fans, though, its just another case of what could have been.
UNITED WON'T WIN
In the same interview Redknapp also passed comment on Manchester United's prospects for next season and was quick to criticise Louis Van Gaal's first season in charge at Old Trafford.
Following a lacklustre campaign prior to Van Gaal's arrival in which United failed to qualify for the Champion's League, they under went a heavy spending spree in the transfer market to correct their descent.
Bringing in players such as Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw much was expected of this new expensively assembled team. In all, over £150million was spent on a host of players but success was not guaranteed.
Despite restoring United to claim their place amongst Europe's next season, Redknapp remains critical that the red devils fell some way short of competing for the league title, especially considering the vast sums that had been spent on players over the summer. He also predicted that they won't win the league next year.
"Finishing fourth is not a success for Man United. They're a team who won the league under Fergie so they're going to look to come back and win the league next year, they're going to want to be up there challenging.
"They spent a fortune last year and they just sneaked into fourth really so they need to improve this year, but I don't see them winning the league this year."
Never short of a word, Harry also confirms he is ready to get back into management. Any takers?
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://gms.to/writeforgms
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms
