Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira nearly signed for Tottenham... and we almost got Luis Suarez before Ajax put the price up

• Harry Redknapp's latest book, A Man Walks On To a Pitch, is being serialised by Sportsmail this week
• Redknapp reveals that Vieira was willing to sign for Tottenham but circumstances changed and he stayed in Italy before joining Man City
• Redknapp was encouraged to sign Suarez by Ruud Gullit but delayed making a bid and was then priced out of a move by Ajax

By Harry Redknapp

Published: 16:40 EST, 8 October 2014 | Updated: 04:33 EST, 9 October 2014

For 50 years, Harry Redknapp has been one of football’s most colourful and outspoken characters. Now he’s written a book every fan will want to read. 

In A Man Walks On To a Pitch, Redknapp reveals how close he came to signing Patrick Vieira and Luis Suarez during his time as Tottenham manager. 

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. 

‘You’ve got to take him, Harry,’ Ruud Gullit told me. ‘He’s fantastic.’ 

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Luis Suarez kick the ball in a team-mate's face during training 

Luis Suarez (left) was one of the most sought after prospects in Europe during his time with Ajax

Luis Suarez (right) scores against Tottenham in Liverpool's 4-0 win at Anfield in March

Luis Suarez proved to be bargain for Liverpool and Harry Redknapp says he regrets not signing him

The Uruguayan moved to Barcelona this summer and has blossomed into one of the world's best players

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. 

Just when I was on the verge of taking the plunge, the price went up. In the end he was sold for £22.8million to Liverpool. We wouldn’t have paid that.

Patrick Vieira was a different type of midfield player and one every club would like to take now. 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. 

Patrick Vieira celebrates winning the 2005 FA Cup - one of seven major trophies he won with Arsenal

Patrick Vieira was at Inter Milan (right) when Redknapp tried to sign him but he eventually went to Man City

The midfielder (centre) captained Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal but Redknapp tried to lure him to the Lane

Redknapp claims the Frenchman was keen on signing for Spurs but the deal did not materialise in the end

The then Tottenham manager Redknapp (centre), pictured during training, wanted Vieira to join the club

The cover of Harry Redknapp's new book

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, his circumstances changed and he decided to stay in Italy. By the time he did become available — the following January — our needs had changed and Manchester City snapped him up.

Patrick is the player Arsenal have never really replaced, but I still find it bizarre that he ended up in a blazer at Manchester City. Shouldn’t he be at Arsenal?

It is ironic that so many associate Arsene Wenger with the beautiful game, yet his Arsenal teams, with Vieira — the ultimate box-to-box midfielder — did as much as anybody to introduce real physical power into the modern Premier League.

Teams got bigger to compete with Arsenal because they were so strong. They were up there with any of the great post-War teams — the Busby Babes, Tottenham’s Double-winners, Revie’s Leeds United, the great Liverpool teams, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson — they deserve to be mentioned with any of them.

A Man Walks On To A Pitch by Harry Redknapp is published by Ebury Press, priced £20. Offer price £16 until October 21. Order at mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0808-272-0808 — p&p is free for a limited time only

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