Harry Redknapp claims his £15m buy-out clause at Tottenham cost him the England job in 2012

Harry Redknapp admits he kicked himself by not reading the ‘fine print’ in his Tottenham contract, which he claims cost him his job in England in 2012.

Redknapp, then 65, was the overwhelming favorite to become the next Three Lions boss after Fabio Capello stepped down as manager just before the 2012 European Championship, having led Spurs to the Champions League for the first time in their history.

He looked like a shoo-in for the job, but the FA decided to appoint Roy Hodgson as England manager instead, leaving fans confused as to why Redknapp didn’t get the wink.

And ten years later, Redknapp believes it was his ‘crazy’ £15million buyout clause in his Spurs deal that stopped the FA from even giving him an interview.

“I had a crazy clause in my contract which meant that if another club came after me – or in this case the FA – they would have to pay £5m back to Portsmouth, the last club I was at before Spurs, plus all my pay for my time at Tottenham and whatever was left on my contract,” Redknapp recalled in his new book When Harry Met Sandra.

“It looked like a £15m buyout clause… I didn’t look at the fine print. I never did, and that’s my fault and I should have done that. It was a crazy clause, all in Tottenham’s favour, but what could I do?’

The FA appointed Roy Hodgson in 2012 after Fabio Capello quit on the eve of Euro 2012

Redknapp admits he ‘didn’t read the fine print’ in his Spurs deal, causing him to miss out

Redknapp is led to believe that his gigantic buyout clause was the reason for hiring ‘decent fellow’ Hodgson, who would have been the cheaper option to hire as a result.

“I just think I would have gone very expensive for the FA and Roy would have been a cheaper option,” added Redknapp.

“By the way, I’m not going to drop by Roy’s, or run down from him. I think he’s a decent guy with a lot of experience. I just think he was probably a bit more of the FA’s cup of tea than I ever was.

“I kicked myself over that damn contract. But, like I said, it wasn’t meant to be.’

Hodgson would go on to lead England at three major tournaments, but his reign as boss would come to a disastrous end after their defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016, before returning to boys’ club Crystal Palace.

Redknapp went on to manage QPR and Birmingham after missing England

Redknapp’s career took off from that turning point in 2012, where he would be sacked by Spurs at the end of the season, despite leading the club to fourth-place finish.

However, there would be no Champions League football, with the result that Chelsea would win the tournament and take their place in the following season’s competition.

Redknapp would go on to lead QPR and the Jordanian national team before drawing the curtain on his managerial career at Birmingham in 2017.