Former World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi has revealed that he turned down the chance to become Tottenham Hotspur manager because of the language barrier.
The 65-year-old manager, who led Italy to the World Cup title in 2006, is now in charge of Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande, who recently won the league title.
Lippi, who signed fellow countryman Alessandro Diamanti this month, told Italian media that he nearly became manager of the Premier League side.
"I have been close with several English clubs in recent years," the Metro quotes him as saying, "Most recently was Tottenham. But I said no because I didn't understand the language."
Tottenham Hotspur, now managed by their former player Tim Sherwood, currently occupy sixth place in the league table.
