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I wish I had signed Vieira - Redknapp

Patrick Vieira signed for Manchester City in January © Getty Images

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Harry Redknapp admits he has some regrets about failing to sign Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan and believes the fact he was prepared to play for Arsenal's arch-rivals shows "the character of the man".

Vieira, who became a legend at Arsenal after almost a decade at the club, came close to a switch to Tottenham last summer, but the move fell through when the midfielder decided to stay in Italy.

When he opted to move on in January, he signed for Manchester City, and he is expected to be in the squad when Tottenham head to Eastlands on Wednesday in a match that could determine which team secures the final Champions League spot.

Redknapp says he decided against signing the 33-year-old in January because he was happy with his midfield options but he still feels regret for having missed out on a "top, top player".

Redknapp told Soccernet: "Patrick was very interested in joining us last summer and, yes, I spoke to him at great length about a move to White Hart Lane.

"Eventually he decided he wanted to stay at Inter, so we never actually got to the nitty-gritty of a deal as such, yet there was a big chance it would have happened as he seemed to want to play for Spurs.

"That would have been some bold move for someone like him who was such a legend at Arsenal. It would have also been a bold move for us! He fancied the move, even though he was such an Arsenal legend, and that shows the character of the man - it shows he has b******* that he was prepared to do that.

"He actually said to me, 'I'd love to come to play for a club like Tottenham', but in the end he decided to stay with Inter.

"Then in January, I spoke to him again, when he wanted to come back to English football. He had then made up his mind to leave Inter and, although I could have taken him in that last transfer window, we had sorted out our midfield and I decided not to move for him.

"In many ways, I wish I had signed him as he is a great player, a top, top player, but we felt we didn't need him by the time he had got round to wanting to sign for us!"

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