Peter Crouch will be a household name for a number of football fans across the country, with the forward plying his trade in the Premier League and on the international stage with England.
Crouch moved to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2009 from Portsmouth after scoring 33 goals in 86 appearances for Pompey.
He then went on to spend eight years with Stoke City after an impressive spell with Spurs, before rounding off his professional career with Burnley.
Crouch announced his retirement in July 2019 at the age of 38, and has been looking back at some key moments in his time in the Premier League.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, Crouch revealed that he almost joined Sunderland from Portsmouth, and was even shown around the club's training ground by Steve Bruce.
"History shows I went from Portsmouth to Tottenham in the summer of 2009 but it could quite easily have been Portsmouth to Sunderland. Steve Bruce was keen to sign me and it got to the point where I flew up to the North East from the South Coast.
"Steve took me around Sunderland’s fantastic training ground, we had lunch together and I was even taken to the areas where the other players lived to look at possible houses."
Crouch went on to reveal that Harry Redknapp moved late to pitch his plan for Crouch, before stating that he was pleased to move to White Hart Lane when he did.
"I was prepared to move there over Fulham, who had also shown a significant interest. On the way back home, though, I got a call from Harry Redknapp, who asked me about my plans.
"When I told him about Sunderland, he made his pitch for Tottenham and having not even been in the picture, I was suddenly headed for White Hart Lane. I’m glad it worked out as it did."
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The Verdict:
It's an interesting insight!
Crouch was hugely impressive in his time with Portsmouth, and it didn't come as a surprise to hear a number of clubs registering their interest in landing his signature.
Sunderland will surely be frustrated that they couldn't get a deal over the line for the striker, who went on to impress for both Spurs and Stoke City later down the line.