Harry Redknapp has claimed he almost signed former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for Tottenham Hotspur, before he joined the Reds.
Speaking on talkSPORT on deadline day, presenter Laura Woods asked the veteran manager if there were any big deals he just missed out on during his career.
“Loads over the years, so many it’s crazy,” Redknapp said.
“You think you’ve got one done and you’re sitting around late at night trying to get it done and it doesn’t come off.
“When you’re in a relegation battle and you’re struggling and you know you need one or two or you’ve got no chance, or if you’re trying to make the top four, that’s when you really need it.
“I tried to get Luis Suarez at Tottenham but couldn’t get it done and then the chairman Daniel [Levy] let me have a couple of free transfers instead.
“When it’s over it’s quite a relief to be honest, you think ‘the windows shut, let’s get on with it, let’s get the best out of what we’ve got’.”
Liverpool then went on to sign the Ajax star in 2011 in a deal worth £22.7m.
Suarez could have joined Spurs
This could have been a very different career path for the Uruguayan – which could have had a huge effect on both Spurs and Liverpool.
The forward made 133 appearances for the Reds, during which he bagged a sensational 82 goals and 46 assists.
He almost single-handedly led the Merseyside outfit to the Premier League title in 2013/14 – the campaign in which he incredibly netted 31 goals.
Suarez then joined Barcelona in a deal worth £75m, where he made 283 appearances for the Spanish giants.
He now plays in Brazil with Gremio, where he’s still the ‘unbelievable’ player that former teammate Jose Enrique once described.
But to think his career could have panned out very differently if he joined Redknapp at Tottenham.