Alan Hutton has revealed how he turned down Spurs 'three or four times' and even snubbed a private jet sent by Daniel Levy ahead of his £9million move from Rangers in 2008.
Hutton, 37, a boyhood Gers fan, was the subject of a then-club record bid from Premier League outfit Tottenham, but the former Scotland international was reluctant to leave Ibrox.
Now, Hutton has lifted the lid on the efforts he took to dig his heels and try to stay in Scotland, before eventually moving south of the border to join the north Londoners.
'I didn't want to go. I don't think people know the story, but I actually knocked it back three or four times,' he told The Sun. 'I even remember them sending up a plane and me not turning up for it.
'Eventually I had a meeting with [former Rangers chairman] David Murray through in Edinburgh and he basically said, "Look, you need to go". I thought about it again and decided that, over the long-term, it was probably best for everyone — but it was tough.'
Hutton, who spent three years at White Hart Lane, credited the club for resolutely pursuing him, admitting they could have abandoned their move for him.
'In fairness to Tottenham, they could easily have walked away. At one stage my agent told me they were going to move on to someone else and I told him I was absolutely fine with that. But they came back again and I reluctantly said I'd think about it.
'I told them I'd go down and speak to them but when the day came I still wasn't sure, so I just didn't go to the airport when they had sent a plane up.
'They must have been getting annoyed but that's when my wife and I went to see David Murray at his office in Edinburgh and he laid it bare.
'After that I flew down to London and met Daniel Levy, the manager Juande Ramos and Gus Poyet. They explained their plans — and I signed.'
The 37-year-old added that he wishes he had stayed until the summer as Rangers had reached the UEFA Cup final, although he enjoyed a flying start in his first six months with Tottenham and won the League Cup.
Hutton scored two goals and provided three assists in 66 appearances for Spurs, before joining Aston Villa in 2011. He spent eight years with the Villa Park outfit.
Nathan Patterson has now broken Hutton's transfer record, with his £10m move to Everton this week eclipsing the 37-year-old's £9m fee.