The defender recently left West Bromwich Albion after nine years.
Recently-departed West Bromwich Albion defender Jonas Olsson has told Swedish outlet Expressen that only the sacking of Harry Redknapp scuppered a move to Tottenham Hotspur back in 2012.
Olsson left The Hawthorns this week after nine years with the West Midlands club, during which he played some 262 times.
Though the big Swede’s time had come to return home – he signed a deal with Djurgardens upon his exit – he carved out a reputation as a solid, no-nonsense centre-back during his time with the Baggies.
In fact, it appears that Olsson’s prestige had become so great after a few years of his career in England that he could have been playing in Europe.
The 34-year-old revealed in an interview with Expressen that then-Tottenham Hotspur manager Redknapp was working on concluding a deal to bring the centre-back to White Hart Lane.
Olsson went as far as to suggest that the move was “pretty close” to being completed when Spurs sacked Redknapp at the end of the 2011-12 season.
Speaking about the collapsed move, OIsson said: “It was close. Usually it’s just rumours but this was pretty close to be being done.
“Then Harry was fired and they brought in Andre Villas-Boas, so it never happened,”
Redknapp was clearly a fan of Olsson, as the defender went on to add that the experienced manager was also keen on signing him for QPR after his interest at Spurs.
Whether or not Olsson, then 29, would have had what it takes to make it at Spurs is a matter of debate. Instead, he stayed at Albion and became one of their longest-serving players in recent memory, before his ultimate departure this week.
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