On this day: Former Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp denied he was offered chance to sign Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano prior to West Ham moves

The Blues boss claimed the Argentina internationals were never offered to him before they joined West Ham.

Redknapp chatted about the pair with Hammers boss Alan Pardew when they bumped into each other in a restaurant during a break in Marbella.

He said: ‘Tevez and Mascherano were never offered to me.

‘No-one mentioned either of them.

‘Of course, I would have been interested. They’re two huge names.

‘But no-one ever came to us about them.

‘I don’t know the ins and outs of the deal.

‘These kind of deals seem to be the way things are going with South American players.

‘But who says they are going to play every game at

West Ham? I don’t think that’s the case.

‘I bumped into Alan Pardew and his wife.

‘He’s well pleased to have Tevez and Mascherano.

‘The players dropped into his lap.’

Meanwhile, striker Lomana LuaLua expressed his shock at Svetoslav Todorov's loan exit.

The fans' favourite made the move to the Blues' Premiership rivals at the time Wigan.

LuaLua said: ‘I didn’t even know about Toddy going – I think only the manager knew about it.

‘He’s still in the Premier League but I’m sure he’ll be gutted about leaving.

‘For me, personally, I’ve seen him in training, he’s a very nice guy and I think he’s the best finisher here.

‘I’m not supposed to say that as a striker but I think that Toddy’s a killer in front of goal.’