TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp regrets not beating Liverpool to the signing of Luis Suarez.

Redknapp was desperate to sign a frontman in January after he realised Peter Crouch could not provide him with the goals his team needed to qualify for the Champions League again.

The Spurs boss launched bids for Sergio Aguero, Fernando Llorente and Diego Forlan and he was also interested in acquiring Suarez from Ajax.

But Spurs balked at the £30million-plus fee they were quoted and Redknapp was worried that Suarez was too similar to Rafael van der Vaart, who the Tottenham manager likes to deploy in the hole just behind a target man.

Having seen Suarez star up front on his own, Redknapp admits he probably should have pushed harder to bring him to White Hart Lane.

“We looked at Suarez,” said Redknapp, whose side take on Liverpool tomorrow.

“That was a player who we probably should have took, looking back on it now.

“The fee was £30-odd million and that’s a lot of money.

“We thought he played a bit like van der Vaart as well.

“We were looking for a target man but I have seen him play up on his own and he can do that. He can play anywhere. He can do anything. He is a top-class, fantastic player.”

Redknapp also revealed he was seriously interested in signing Andy Carroll before he left Newcastle for Anfield in a £35million deadline-day move.

“He is a real handful,” Redknapp said. “He is a great header of the ball.

“When you go up against him you know you have had a game, that’s for sure.

“We thought about signing him but we weren’t into spending £35million on one player.”

LIVERPOOL have appointed Gary Adlen as the club’s first foundation director. The lifelong Reds fan, who worked for the Mersey Partnership, will oversee the expansion of the existing LFC Foundation charity to incorporate all of the club’s community work into one body.

Managing director Ian Ayre said: “I have known Gary for several years and been extremely impressed by his drive and commitment and his outstanding work on behalf of the city region.”