Tottenham nearly signed Argentina legend Diego Maradona in the 1990s, according to their former striker Teddy Sheringham.

According to Sportfm.az, the club's then-manager, Ossie Ardiles, was interested in bring his fellow Argentinian to White Hart Lane - before deciding against the move and signing Germany great Jurgen Klinsmann instead.

Ardiles, a club legend as a player, had an unhappy season as manager in 1993 as expensive signings such as Klinsmann and a famously attacking line-up failing to deliver success. Sheringham told Stadium Astro's League of Legends that Ardiles nearly signed superstar Maradona: "I got on really well with Ossie, and I think I was the captain at the time, and Ossie came to me one day and said 'I want your opinion, I'm thinking about signing someone'.

"And I was like 'go on' and he was like 'Diego Maradona', and I went 'Ossie, Ossie, really!? Are you? Do it, just do it'.

"He said 'I'm in talks with him at the moment' and I was like 'my God, do it, it would be brilliant to play with him'.

"He came to me about three days later and was like 'I've decided not to sign Diego, he's got too much baggage around him'."

Sheringham said the disappointment of missing out on Maradona was quickly forgotten with the news that Spurs would be signing German striker Klinsmann.

"I just couldn't believe that Jurgen had just won the World Cup, and he was coming to Tottenham, and he was a revelation at Tottenham," he said.