Martin Jol insists he would rather have had the player than the
cash as he prepares his Tottenham side to face former charge
Michael Carrick and Manchester United.
Carrick completed an £18.6 million move to United at the end of
July, in a transfer that could net Jol as much as a £15 million
profit on a player he signed from West Ham just two seasons
previously.
But as Spurs prepare to travel to Old Trafford on Saturday - a
venue where they have not recorded a win since 1989 - Jol revealed
he was reluctant to part company with the midfielder, despite the
financial incentive.
"I take no pride because I would have loved it if he had stayed,"
said Jol.
"I have coped with the idea for the last six or seven weeks. It
wasn't easy because we wanted to keep him, everyone knows that, but
he wanted to go and not only up north, he wanted to go to
Manchester United, so in the end, they paid us and I had to let him
go.
"The only thing you can do is look forward and try to find a good
blend in midfield again, and I think we have the players for
that.
"He never said 'I'm going'. He asked me. He came over and said 'I
love it here but this is an option for me', and he comes from the
north.
"It helped maybe a bit that it was Manchester United and the only
thing for us was then to think about it."
Spurs' faltering start to the season has seen some observers
suggest Jol made a mistake in parting with the England
international, but the Dutchman claims his hands became tied.
"How could I make a mistake?," Jol asked. "You know the story with
Carrick. Let's finish the story. There was no hide and seek. We
wanted to keep him, he wanted to go and he was not cheeky. He was
honest.
"It was not a matter of two minutes. It was a matter of four weeks.
If I am frustrated, Jose Mourinho will be frustrated with William
Gallas.
"You will have that sometimes. Then, the next week, Dimitar
Berbatov wanted to come when he could have gone to other clubs.
Didier Zokora was the same and Edgar Davids. Sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose."
