Ex Scotland international admits he should have stayed at Ibrox after revealing how close he came to turning down Spurs

Alan Hutton has admitted that his January 2007 departure from Rangers to join Tottenham Hotspur remains one of his biggest career regrets.

The former Scotland defender made the move to North London following a lengthy transfer saga that dragged on throughout much of the January window. Looking back, however, Hutton believes he should have stayed at Ibrox until the end of the season.

Although he is generally satisfied with how his career unfolded, Hutton identified the mid-season switch as a decision he would now handle differently.

Alan Hutton celebrates scoring for Rangers in a 6-0 Scottish Cup win over East Stirlingshire at Ibrox on January 23, 2008. The following week, he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a club record fee of £9 million. (Photo by Bill Murray/SNS Group).

placeholder image — Alan Hutton celebrates scoring for Rangers in a 6-0 Scottish Cup win over East Stirlingshire at Ibrox on January 23, 2008. The following week, he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a club record fee of £9 million. (Photo by Bill Murray/SNS Group).

Speaking to FootballPredictions.com, Hutton said: “I don't tend to look back on my career and think 'what if' or if I'd done something different; I'm happy with the way it panned out. But it's probably the one thing for me, leaving Rangers in January 2007. I should have stayed till the end of the season.”

Hutton explained that pressure from both clubs played a significant role in his eventual decision. With hindsight, he feels remaining at Rangers would have given him the opportunity to be part of a memorable European campaign, as the Glasgow giants went on to reach the UEFA Cup final that season.

He admitted he would have loved to be involved in that run and revealed just how close he came to turning down Tottenham altogether. The ex-full-back recalled how negotiations continued for almost the entire month, with arrangements even being made for him to travel to England before he ultimately refused to go.

He added: “I mean, it went on for pretty much the whole of January. I was getting told I had a plane arriving to take me down. I didn't turn up for it. I was saying no at one stage, like, 'That's it, absolutely not, I'm not going.' But yeah, I wish I'd just waited until the summer.”

Ultimately, discussions with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and the prospect of testing himself in the Premier League proved decisive, persuading Hutton to make the move despite his initial reluctance.

Looking back, Hutton believes delaying his departure until the summer would have been the better choice, allowing him to finish the campaign with Rangers before embarking on the next chapter of his career.

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