Speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, Harry Redknapp has shared just how close he came to becoming the Newcastle United manager back in the late 2000s.
Redknapp was hot property during that period after winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth, and eventually, Newcastle came calling, offering him promises of private jets to training every day so he could continue living in the south of England.
However, Redknapp turned down the role, eventually ending up as the manager of Tottenham.
What’s been said?
Redknapp spoke about being offered the Newcastle job.
“I’ve been lucky, I’ve managed all across the south with Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Southampton! I actually agreed to take the Newcastle job back when I was managing Portsmouth, but what turned it was that I never actually met Mike Ashley, I did the deal with his mate, and he said ‘we’ll give you this and that’, and he said they’d put on a private jet from Luton airport every day, it sounded like a good idea, but could you imagine the Geordies when you start losing a few games, so I didn’t like the idea of that one,” Redknapp said.
Right decision
The Newcastle job will have been a tempting one for Redknapp, but around that time, it’s fair to say that turning the Magpies down was the right decision.
Under Mike Ashley, Newcastle were in disarray, meanwhile, the Spurs job was just around the corner for Redknapp, and he was able to help the north London outfit into the Champions League while United were battling relegation – barring a fantastic period in the early 2010s.
Waiting for Tottenham was the right career decision for Redknapp.
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