Guangzhou Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi has revealed past talks with Tottenham.
Lippi has claimed he nearly took over at the White Hart Lane club instead - prior to Andre Villas-Boas' appointment in 2012 - and has been approached by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on a number of occasions.
He told Italian media: "I have been close with several English clubs in recent years. Most recently was Tottenham. But I said no because I didn't understand the language."
