Portsmouth saw record West Ham deal slip away - Spurs stole Pompey's millions | OneFootball

Portsmouth came bitterly close to capturing the midfielder

Portsmouth came extremely close to striking a deal for one of England’s best midfielders of the 21st century.

In 2004, Pompey had just finished 14th in their maiden Premier League campaign and were looking to build on that success in the transfer window.

Harry Redknapp had been in charge of the Fratton Park outfit since 2002, managing them to the second-tier title in 2003 and had used his connections in the game to make some brilliant signings.

Their additions from the previous summer included the likes of Yakubu, Dejan Stefanovic and Teddy Sheringham, who all served Pompey well throughout the 2003/04 campaign.

However, there was one deal Redknapp couldn’t get over the line. If he had, it would’ve seen the club enjoy yet another phenomenal talent and could’ve resulted in a potential windfall for Portsmouth in the resulting years.

Portsmouth came bitterly close to striking Michael Carrick, West Ham deal

After West Ham United failed to achieve promotion to the Premier League in 2004, a young Michael Carrick decided it was time to pursue a move to the top-flight for himself.

Redknapp had previously managed the midfielder when he was in charge of the Hammers and wanted to use this previous connection to get a deal done for Portsmouth.

The 78-year-old revealed via a SunSport column that Carrick had met with him and Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie, with all signs pointing towards completing a deal for his services.

Redknapp stated that the two clubs had agreed a £2.4 million fee for the midfielder, and that Carrick was en route to his medical when Tottenham Hotspur swooped in.

Former Spurs owner Daniel Levy had caught wind that Redknapp wanted to recruit one of his former players and gathered that Carrick must have been a top quality prospect as a result.

From that point, the North London outfit had the upper hand over Pompey, and they subsequently signed Carrick for £2.75 million that summer.

In the short term, missing out on Michael Carrick would’ve hurt Portsmouth on the pitch.

Due to the quality the midfielder possesses, he would’ve controlled the tempo Pompey’s engine room and could’ve played a huge role in helping them push further up the Premier League in the following years.

However, failing to sign Carrick turned out to be a doubly bitter blow in the years that followed for another reason.

The former Middlesbrough manager made 74 appearances for Tottenham, where he began to establish himself as one of English football’s most promising midfield talents.

As always, Sir Alex Ferguson was on the prowl for the best young prospects coming through and decided that acquiring Carrick in 2006 was a wise addition to make.

Tottenham sold the midfielder for £18.7 million, which would’ve handed Portsmouth further transfer regret.

This sale may have been of great use to Pompey, allowing them to reinvest in their squad and potentially increase their competitiveness in the top-flight.

At Old Trafford, Carrick won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup before retiring in 2018, and has later gone on to return to the second-tier in a managerial capacity by taking charge of Middlesbrough between 2022 and 2025.

Portsmouth will always be envious of Tottenham for stealing the midfielder away from them and preventing the club from enjoying his immense talent before making a huge profit.