Harry Redknapp has lifted the lid on Tottenham's failed £18million pursuit of Eden Hazard - and also revealed Patrick Vieira was keen on joining Spurs before a last-minute change of heart.
Hazard was one of the hottest tickets in town after breaking into the Lille first-team back in 2008, with Europe's big guns all chasing the Belgian superstar.
Spurs were among the teams keeping a close eye on the highly-rated youngster, with Joe Cole recommending the player to Redknapp - and he even met with Hazard who was keen on making the switch to north London.
But Daniel Levy didn't want to sanction the £18million deal and Chelsea eventually secured a £32m deal in 2012. Hazard spent seven years in west London, becoming one of the best Premier League players of his generation, before making a move to Real Madrid.
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Speaking on the Overlap Daily, brought to you by Sky Vegas, Redknapp explained why Spurs failed to get a deal for Hazard over the line. He 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 and that didn't want to spend the money on him. I think it was about £18million. He was cheap, but he was a player, a great young player."
Another big-name player Redknapp - who managed Spurs for four years before being sacked in 2012 - failed to secure was Arsenal icon Vieira.
Despite his successful spell with their north London rivals, Redknapp has claimed Vieira was keen on making the move to Spurs in 2009, but the Premier League champion - who was playing with Inter Milan at the time - decided against the move.
Redknapp added: "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."