Harry Redknapp has revealed how close he came to signing former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira and current Barcelona striker Luis Suarez for Tottenham Hotspur during his managerial tenure at White Hart Lane.
Redknapp, now in charge at Queens Park Rangers, said in his new book "A Man Walks On To a Pitch" that he met ex-Gunners' enforcer Vieira at his house before the Frenchman ultimately decided to remain at Inter Milan in 2009.
The 67-year-old also revealed that one of his biggest regrets was missing out on Suarez before the controversial forward eventually joined Liverpool.
Despite Vieira's strong connections with Spurs' north London rivals, Redknapp felt the midfielder was unfazed by the negative attention the move would inevitably attract.
"Patrick Vieira was a different type of midfield player and one every club would like to take now," Redknapp said in the book, currently being serialised by the Daily Mail.
"He almost came to me at Tottenham from Inter Milan. I thought it was an incredible decision by him, after he'd been such a hero at Arsenal.
"I met him at his house in Hampstead and he had no fear about what people would think or what reception he would get. He had enough confidence in his ability to just brush it away.
"I remember talking to Daniel Levy, our chairman, about him. He said the crowd would be hostile. I knew that -- but if he had enough bottle to want to put on our white shirt after all that had gone before, I thought it said something about the man."
In the end, however, Vieira decided to stay put in Italy for a few months before he moved to City in January 2010. Vieira remains at the Etihad Stadium after ending his playing career there, and now coaches the club's youth team.
The following year, Redknapp signed another former Arsenal captain for Spurs when he brought in William Gallas on a free transfer after the defender's contract at the Emirates Stadium expired.
Not signing Suarez -- before he left Ajax to join Liverpool in 2011 -- was another missed transfer for Redknapp, who targeted the Uruguayan following a glowing reference from Ruud Gullit.
"Despite all that has happened in his career since, one of the biggest regrets of my life in management is not taking Luis Suarez to Tottenham when we had the chance," he added. "'You've got to take him, Harry,' Ruud Gullit told me. 'He's fantastic.'
"Yet all of our scouts' reports said that at Ajax he played wide off a striker, whereas we were looking for a proper front man."
Redknapp said that he was initially unsure about Suarez, but when he decided to sign him the asking price became a problem for Spurs.
"Just when I was on the verge of taking the plunge, the price went up," he said. "In the end he was sold for 22.8 million pounds to Liverpool. We wouldn't have paid that."