Harry Redknapp – a man who famously reacted quite angrily to being called a wheeler dealer at Tottenham.
“I’m not a wheeler and dealer. I’ve not made my name as a wheeler and dealer, don’t say that.”
Ultimately – however – it was a compliment from Rob Palmer, the Sky Sports reporter who saw his lighthearted comment backfire almost immediately during an interview with the then Tottenham boss.
The 77-year-old did become known as a wheeler and dealer in the market after finding some real bargains for Spurs, such as an £8m deal for Rafael van der Vaart and a £9m move for Kyle Walker.
However, there was one player Harry Redknapp actually rejected – despite Tottenham agreeing a deal without his knowledge…
Harry Redknapp rejected Antonio Pedroza
Well, Antonio Pedroza has now revealed that Redknapp cancelled his move to Spurs.
The 33-year-old, who spent time with Crystal Palace in England, came close to joining Tottenham before ending up at Selhurst Park in 2011, only to see his proposed transfer fall apart due to a lack of communication.
Pedroza told The Athletic: “We signed a deal with Tottenham but that broke down because I didn’t pass a medical. They told me I had something wrong with my hip but at the end of the day I think the real problem was that the owner of the team, the president, the big boss didn’t tell the manager, Harry Redknapp, and when I got there with my agent, he was like ‘Who is this guy? I don’t know him, so I’m not going to sign him.’
“My agent explained the situation but Redknapp said, ‘I don’t give a ____, he’s not signing with me.’”
Tottenham were proven right
This was ruthless from Redknapp – to say the least.
However, the Londoner’s eye for talent was still working by this point at least, as Pedroza went on to make just five appearances for Crystal Palace without scoring, and then returned to Mexican football.
In that respect, you could argue that Spurs somewhat dodged a bullet.