PATRICK VIEIRA once had talks with Harry Redknapp regarding a sensational move to Tottenham, AFTER he played for Arsenal.
But the Crystal Palace boss admitted in the end there was ‘no chance’ of him playing for the Gunners’ arch-rivals.
Vieira left Arsenal for Juventus in 2005 before moving on to Inter, and it was while he was with the Nerazzurri in 2009 that talks with Redknapp took place.
He helped the Gunners famously win the Premier League at White Hart Lane during the 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ season, and was keen on a return to the England after spending time in Serie A.
The 45-year-old has revealed: “It is too far and a long time ago. I don’t remember.
“No, that was a period where I really wanted to come back to the Premier League.
“Knowing Harry quite well and admiring him as a manager, we had a conversation about different options but at the end there was no chance of me coming to England and going to Spurs, no chance.”
Vieira won three Premier League titles in total with the Gunners, as well as FOUR FA Cups, and is a legend in the red side of North London.
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But his legacy at the Emirates could have been different had Redknapp convinced him to sign for Spurs.
He played a 396 games for the Gunners in total, after joining the club for just £3.5million in 1996.
Vieira has now returned to the Premier League as manager, taking over the reigns at Crystal Palace in July.
And he masterminded his side to an emphatic 3-0 win against old foes Tottenham on Sunday.
Summer signing Odsonne Edouard scored twice on his Palace debut to help Vieira’s side to a famous win.
The Eagles managed to restrict Harry Kane to go without a single shot or even a touch in their box for the entire 90 minutes.
Before the clash Vieira was asked to compare Kane to his old teammate Thierry Henry, with the Englishman just nine goals away from Henry’s 175 Premier League goals.
And he said: “Thierry could do everything. He had pace, power, he could run in behind, could get the ball in his feet and dribble past three or four players and go to score the goal.
“Maybe because I played with Thierry, I see him in a different way. Maybe it’s easier for me to talk about Thierry than to talk about Kane.
“That’s something that you guys have to take into consideration as well!
“But I see Thierry as in the top three of all time.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
