Harry Redknapp has said that Daniel Levy would have sacked him at Tottenham Hotspur even if he had achieved the target for the season of Champions League qualification, as the club considered making an approach to André Villas-Boas to replace him. Redknapp also expressed his disappointment at the decision and suggested that his face no longer fitted at the club.

Levy brought weeks of growing tension between the pair to a head on Wednesday when, after consulting with his board of directors, he informed Redknapp that his near four-year tenure was over as the club wanted to pursue a fresh direction. The decision was confirmed in a statement that was released at 3.37am on Thursday. Levy has begun the search for Redknapp's successor, with David Moyes prominent in his thinking together with Villas-Boas. The young Portuguese was sacked by Chelsea last season but he has his admirers at White Hart Lane. There has been contact via a third party and Villas-Boas would be keen to return to work in London.

Moyes is also highly regarded at Spurs but is not certain that he will be appointed as he remains committed to undertaking his preparations for the new season at Goodison Park. Moyes has returned to England from a break in the United States and he intends to travel to Euro 2012 on Monday. Neither he nor Everton has received any approach from Tottenham. But Moyes would, at the very least, give consideration to an offer. Tottenham intend to engage in a process, which suggests that other candidates will be considered.

Levy is aware that Rafael Benítez, the former Liverpool manager, is out of work and would be receptive to an approach.

Redknapp suggested that no matter what he did, his number was up at White Hart Lane. He guided the team to a fourth-placed Premier League finish but it was not enough to secure Champions League football after Chelsea's victory in the final over Bayern Munich.

"We finished fourth and were unlucky at the end but I think the same outcome would have happened," Redknapp said. "It's always disappointing but that's football. The people who run the club have to make decisions that they think are right and that's their decision. I abide by it. I don't spend my life holding grudges, thinking about what could have been. We all move on."

Redknapp did reflect on what might have been if he had been given longer in charge. He had wanted a long-term extension to his one-year contract but Levy refused to make him an offer. Redknapp always felt that Spurs "had a league title in them" and he continues to believe that he could have delivered it.

"The only disappointment is that I think it's a team that could have gone on and won the Premier League in a year or two. I just wish I had been able to see that through and be a part of that," he said. "What's happened is that I've met with my chairman and the club has decided that it wants to go in a different direction with the manager. That's their decision."

Redknapp said that he had a clause in his £3m-a-year contract that related to compensation but he worried about the future for his assistants Kevin Bond, Joe Jordan and Tim Sherwood. "That's my big worry," said Redknapp. "I had a conversation with the boys last night and I don't know. That's the trouble with this game, especially in their position."