Harry Redknapp was stunned that Tottenham's rivals did not swoop for Scott Parker before he completed the signing of the former West Ham midfielder on deadline day.
Parker was arguably the only player to emerge from the Hammers squad with any credit at the end of last term as they finished bottom of the Barclays Premier League. Despite being linked with a number of top-flight clubs, the 31-year-old began this season at Upton Park.
Redknapp finally persuaded chairman Daniel Levy that Parker was worth the £5million fee Tottenham paid to secure his signature on the last day of the transfer window. He told Spurs TV Online: "When you think about it, he was sitting there all summer. He could have been nicked by anybody. I don't know how somebody else didn't sign him."
He added: "It took three or four months to get him but we got him in the end and we are delighted to have him."
The capture of Parker, and of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City, delighted Tottenham fans after a tumultuous summer which saw Luka Modric the subject of strong interest from Chelsea.
The Blues made a series of bids for the talented playmaker - the last was thought to be £40million - but chairman Levy refused to sell despite the player himself pushing for a move.
Modric has put in a series of impressive performances since, the most recent coming in Monday's night's win over Aston Villa in which he was man of the match.
The Croatian thought the Tottenham squad had become stale in the summer but has been impressed with the impact the two new signings have made.
"We needed some fresh blood in our team," Modric said. "Scotty and Manu came in. They are great players. They have improved our squad a lot and you can see that on the pitch.
"Now we are in third we have hard games coming up so we just have to keep fighting for each other and keep this momentum up."
Source: PA
Source: PA