Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp says he's hoping for a call to return to the club almost 11 years after he was sacked.
Redknapp, 76, wants to be called upon to aid Ryan Mason should Spurs decide to put their former midfielder in temporary charge for a second time once they dismiss the outgoing Antonio Conte.
The Italian will be relieved of his duties before the end of the season after his remarkable outburst following Saturday's 3-3 draw at Southampton, with Spurs having thrown away a two-goal lead.
There is now no way back at the club for the former Chelsea boss, who is out of contract at the end of the season but is now expected to leave imminently.
Redknapp, who managed Spurs between 2008 and 2012, says he'd love to be involved in some capacity at the club having seen fellow veterans Neil Warnock and Roy Hodgson return to football recently.
Warnock, 74, returned to Huddersfield Town last month 30 years after he was first appointed by the club, while Hodgson has retaken Crystal Palace job until the end of the season at the age of 75.
“If someone asks you, I think it would be hard to say no, I’ll be truthful,” Redknapp told talkSPORT.
“When you love it, you do find it hard to say no, as Roy and Neil would agree.”
When pressed on whether Spurs chairman Daniel Levy had been in touch, Redknapp said: “No definitely not, that has not happened.
“But you look at what you’re doing now, sitting around, having a game of golf, and it’s not the money, it’s the challenge, you love it, the buzz of it, winning a game is a fantastic feeling. It’s hard to say no.”
Mason, 31, first took charge of Spurs for seven game at the end of the 2020-21 season, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
When asked if he'd like to help him, Redknapp said: “Yeah of course, I would love that.
“With a young manager I often think that they don’t use older figures, but I think there is room for older people to go in with them and work with a young manager, even if it was only for a couple of days a week just to be around. They can bounce ideas off you – I think that’s important.
“It’s a difficult job and when you’re young it’s important to have someone experienced there with you. I took people like Jim Smith who was older than me, at Portsmouth I’d already managed about 1000 games before I took Jim with me, but he was fanstastic for me. I had Frank Lampard Sr with me, I took Glenn Hoddle, Steve McClaren – I think you need good people around you, it’s important.
“It’s a lonely job and you need all the help you can get.”
As of yet there is no indication Spurs are looking to Mason for a temporary role, with Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel both in the frame to replace Conte.
