Sean Dyche would love to have worked with Harry Kane - and he tried to make it happen.
Sadly for Dyche, who was manager of Premier League side Burnley at the time, Tottenham knew they had a star on their hands and demanded big money for the striker.
In 2012, though, the England captain had yet to break into the Spurs first-team and was a long way from breaking all manner of goal records he has since done in the Premier League, with England and now at Bayern Munich.
That all came from hard work in the Football League at various clubs on loan, first at Leyton Orient in 2011 then at Dyche's former club Millwall on a four-month deal in 2012.
Dyche had spent three years at The Den as a player before his transition into management.
Kane scored nine goals in 27 appearances across all competitions for the Lions during his time at the club as he began to impress.
However, he then struggled during subsequent loan spells at Norwich and Leicester in 2013.
Dyche wanted him at Turf Moor as he recalled in a chat with talkSPORT.
When asked which transfers he wishes he had been able to get over the line, he said: "The only one that I'm on record for was the Harry Kane one.
"That was because people think that I tried to sign him like being daft when he was up and running, but I didn't.
"I tried to sign him when he'd had a couple of loans that didn't really work that well.
"He'd done really well at Millwall, which is when I first got eyes on him, because some of my mates I played with at Millwall were still there, and they really thought a lot of him.
"He was a very young man as well, but held his own in it. Millwall can be a tough place to play and he held his own and did well there.
"Then he went on a couple of loans and [became] a sort of bit part player coming off the bench.
"So I, by chance, bumped into him on a holiday in Portugal, and his family, and had a chat with him, and it was his dad and just kind of made a phone call.
"But it was big money, even then. I mean, Tottenham are not mugs. I remember [former Spurs striker and now club ambassador] Clive Allen, telling me what a player he was and what a finisher."
How close did Kane come to joining Burnley?
Dyche admits the deal did not get close to being completed despite his interest.
He continued: "I must make it clear, it was never close, [Tottenham] asked for big money and apparently money [at Burnley] was hard to come by with the chairman and the board, so we weren't going to pay that.
"He was probably the one when I really chased as hard as I could, but the numbers were just too big at the time.
"They obviously realised they've got a real talent and what a talent he is without a shadow of a doubt, top, top player."
What did Kane do instead?
After his false starts on loan, Kane went on to enjoy his breakout season during the 2014/15 campaign with Tottenham.
The then 21-year-old scored 21 goals in 34 Premier League appearances and earned his first England call-up.
He has since become both Spurs and the Three Lions' all-time leading scorer.
Meanwhile, Kane won three Premier League Golden Boots before joining Bayern for more than £100million in 2023.
The 32-year-old has added two Bundesliga golden boots during his time in Germany as well as winning the league title last term.
Kane will welcome his old club to Munich in a pre-season friendly, but it will be a lot of change from both sides.
Kane's former teammate Heung-min Son is no longer there, though Joao Palhinha and Mathys Tel will be lining up against him having left Bavaria for London.
Vincent Kompany will be without both Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala but new boy Luis Diaz is ready to play.
What is Sean Dyche doing now?
Speaking to talkSPORT, Dyche said he is enjoying his time away from the dugout with Everton being his most recent job, which he left in January 2025.
He has been able to catch up friends and family over the summer period, play more golf and see live music.
"I saw Kasabian who I love and they're brilliant. I saw Oasis, they were brilliant, so I'm enjoying that side of things and not really too involved with the football, trying to take a real break from it."
Having been involved in football since his teens, though, the 54-year-old did admit he misses the day-to-day of being a manager.
Did he get offered the Leicester job?
No. "The Leicester thing was a complete myth," he explained.
"It's not Leicester's fault, the media made out I'd been interviewed and I hadn't been, so that was just noise.
"It just takes time sometimes and the right job and the right situation and sometimes the right timing for the job and the job that I can do and the chance to fulfil that job."