Tim Sherwood has said that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy wanted him to stay at the club in some capacity after sacking him as manager last summer.
Sherwood was axed by Levy at the end of last season after failing to guide Spurs to Champions League qualification, despite only taking the job in December following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas.
Saturday's visit of Aston Villa throws up an intriguing subplot as the 46-year-old returns to White Hart Lane as an opposition manager, and he claims that Spurs' hierarchy were keen to keep him in another role.
"Daniel knew me for a lot of years. It wasn't as if I fell off my chair and said 'you're joking'. I knew it was coming," Sherwood, who spent four years at the club as a player before returning in 2008 in a coaching role, is quoted as saying by ESPN.
"I was disappointed I was leaving the football club, yes, but Daniel didn't want the divorce, he wanted me to stay in some kind of capacity. But I'm a manager now.
"He didn't say what job. I was looking at eyeing up the broom cupboards and all that. It's been great for me. It's turned out brilliantly and I thank Daniel Levy for that."
The 16th-placed Villans travel to the capital knowing that victory could potentially see them move six points clear of the relegation zone.
