Tottenham twice failed to sign Steven Gerrard from Liverpool, the Kop legend has confirmed.
Gerrard was talking to former team-mate Peter Crouch on the latter's streaming show 'Back of the Net', recalling a time when the pair faced off as youth prospects at Spurs' training ground.
Crouch said: "Just before your debut, you played at Spurs Lodge for the youth team. It was the first time I'd seen you.
"You smashed someone on the edge of the box, the ball was between your legs, you beat someone and rattled a shot off the crossbar and I thought: 'Hold on a minute, who's this?'
"I remember [then Spurs chairman] Alan Sugar was watching the game and him walking off with you."
Gerrard replied: "Liverpool moved pretty quick after that game to try and offer me a different type of contract."
Crouch added: "I'd been there for your years and I didn't speak to Alan Sugar once."
Having failed to sign Gerrard at the beginning of his career, Spurs also were unable to convince the midfielder to swap Merseyside for north London at the end of his career.
In his second autobiography, 'My Story', published in 2015, Gerrard detailed offers which came in once he had decided to leave Liverpool: "The first offer came from Besiktas, then managed by Slaven Bilic. Monaco were next. They came in strong.
"Paris Saint-Germain were also very keen. David Moyes called my agent a couple of times, to see whether I would be interested in playing for him at Real Sociedad.
"A few English clubs called but I wouldn't play against Liverpool. There was interest from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. It was good to know he still rated me.
"I was sure I could play in the Premier League for another year but there would not have been much of a buzz doing the same thing all over again with Tottenham."
Source: m.allfootballapp.com