I made 109 appearances for Tottenham – I phoned up manager and begged him to leave
by Tom Sunderland · football.londonVedran Corluka's emotional departure from Tottenham saw him plead with Harry Redknapp to let him leave.
The ex-Croatia defender, who now serves as an assistant manager for the national side, left Manchester City to join Spurs for a fee of around £8.5million back in 2008. Despite signing a six-year contract at White Hart Lane, Corluka's tenure was cut short as he sought regular playing time to secure his position at Euro 2012.
He had the chance to do just that when Bayer Leverkusen came in for his services during one January transfer window. Speaking to Vecernji List (via the Mirror) in February 2012, Corluka - whose old teams face off at the Etihad Stadium lotoday (November 23) - disclosed how Redknapp was initially against his move to Germany.
"When I told him that I had an option to move to Germany, Harry didn't want to even hear about that," said Corluka. "He said to me that he still needs me and that I'm like all the other players - very important to him.
"The day before leaving Spurs I called him, and even begged him to let me go, as that was the only option for me and my chances to be at Euro 2012. And, after that conversation, he softened up and said that I can leave Tottenham."
Corluka spent three years at Tottenham, making 109 appearances and helping the team reach the League Cup final in 2009. Although his time at Spurs ended on a low note following that Leverkusen loan, he went on to achieve great success with Lokomotiv Moscow, winning one Russian Premier League title and four Russian Cups over nine years.
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Despite his disappointing exit, Corluka has previously spoken highly of his time in north London. It wasn't long prior to his initial exit from Spurs that he claimed they remained bigger than City, despite the latter's Abu Dhabi takeover.
"I still think that," he told the Daily Mail. "The fans are a little bit more close to the club here than at City. I have nothing against City and I had a great time there but when I played for City, the stadium wasn't always full, whereas here, you never see that."
The chasm between them and Spurs has only widened since his time in England, but Ange Postecoglou will be aiming to steer things back on course this weekend. Tottenham have won two of their last five meetings with City, who have also collected two wins from the rivalry in that time.
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