Frank de Boer: I would have left Ajax for Tottenham job

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has admitted that he would have left the Dutch champions had Tottenham offered him the manager's job.

De Boer and Dutch compatriot Louis van Gaal were both approached for the role, along with then Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board eventually went with the Argentine, and the Ajax coach admits he came close to upping sticks and moving to London.

"If they wanted me, I would probably have said 'yes'," De Boer told local Amsterdam news channel, Amstel Television 5.

"I was really close to a move to Tottenham, but they chose Pochettino."

"It's the same in a corporate company," he added. "Eventually the board will vote and they came out with Pochettino."

Many Spurs fans had hoped for De Boer's appointment, citing not only his consistent success in the Eredivisie, but his experience of working alongside Tottenham stars Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen.