Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle has revealed he offered his services to the club as a manager before Igor Tudor was sacked.
Hoddle, 68, made 490 appearances for Spurs between 1975 and 1987, and later managed the club for two years from 2001 to 2003.
Hoddle has never been afraid to share his love for them, but his last managerial role ended in July 2006 with Wolves and he has mainly worked as a pundit since then.
But, with Tottenham in dire straits this season and in danger of being relegated from the Premier League for the first time ever, Hoddle explained he proposed the idea of a return to the club in the dugout.
That came after Tottenham’s dreadful 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest, which proved to be the final straw for Igor Tudor’s ill-fated seven game stint where he picked up just one point in the Premier League.
‘No, they never came to us,’ he said on The Jeff Stelling Show when asked about reports at the time which linked him with the role. ‘Ossie (Ardiles) and myself, after the Forest game, we felt there was a real problem there.
Glenn Hoddle has revealed he asked for the Tottenham job last month amid their struggles
‘Ossie and I made it clear that we would go in there if they wanted us to go in there. Tudor was in as the manager, but to lose 3-0 against a team down at the bottom with you was a bad sign.
‘It looked to me as if it needed some love, it needed some people to go in there and unite the fans.’
Ardiles is a fellow Spurs legend but was sacked as manager in October 1994 after just over a year in charge.
Despite their come-and-get-me-plea, Hoddle explained that it fell on deaf ears, although he insisted he wasn’t bothered as long as Tottenham get the job done and avoid relegation.
‘It (our proposal) was sort of looked upon and they said they were looking elsewhere,’ Hoddle added. ‘So it was fine by me. I don’t care who (has the job).
‘I’m a Spurs man through and through since 8 years of age. So as long as they’ve got the right man in… De Zerbi has gone in, and everyone’s got to unite and get together.
‘But they’ve got a real task on their hands haven’t they? I just want them to stay up.’
Hoddle (pictured in May 2003) was Spurs boss from 2001 to 2003 until he was sacked
During Hoddle’s reign with Spurs, he took the club to the League Cup final in 2002 – which they lost to Blackburn Rovers – but he was sacked in September 2003 following two mid-table finishes.
Meanwhile, having dispensed with Tudor, Tottenham chose former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi as his replacement.
The Italian has one win, one draw and one defeat from his three games in charge, but his side remain two points adrift of safety with four games to go.
They travel to Aston Villa on Sunday, before facing Leeds, Chelsea and Everton to close out the season.