Bournemouth and England striker Jermain Defoe claims he could have joined Juventus earlier in his career.
Defoe moved back to Tottenham Hotspur midway through the 2008-09 season, reuniting with his Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, but the 35-year-old revealed Juve had made a last-ditch attempt to take him to Turin.
“When I left Tottenham and went to Portsmouth with Harry [Redknapp], I was there for a season and then Harry got the Tottenham job,” he told Sky Sports.
Bournemouth and England striker Jermain Defoe claims he could have joined Juventus earlier in his career.
Defoe moved back to Tottenham Hotspur midway through the 2008-09 season, reuniting with his Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, but the 35-year-old revealed Juve had made a last-ditch attempt to take him to Turin.
“When I left Tottenham and went to Portsmouth with Harry [Redknapp], I was there for a season and then Harry got the Tottenham job,” he told Sky Sports.
“It was weird because I just knew it was going happen. It made sense because of the relationship I had with the club and the fans.
“There was speculation and at one point I thought: ‘Yeah, this is going to happen’. Both clubs were speaking.
“As a player you just want the two clubs to get on with it. I wanted permission to speak to Tottenham.
“I remember being at home and sitting there for a few days and just waiting for the deal to get done. I knew it was close.
“Then, I got a phone call from someone to say that Juventus were interested. Obviously, I wanted to go back to Tottenham but I thought maybe the Tottenham one was not going to happen.
“Nothing really scares me. It is just another massive club, you go there, you play and you score goals. It is as simple as that.
“When the Tottenham one got done it was a relief. Some places just feel like home. It was the perfect move for me.”
“It is awkward. You can be in the canteen and something will come up. The lads will just give you banter. You come in the next day and they say: ‘Oh, are you still here?’”
Defoe scored over 143 goals across his two spells with Spurs, as well as netting a further 20 for his country in 57 caps.