As reported by The Times, the man who sunk Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday nearly joined the club instead of Liverpool last summer.

What's the story?

By skewering Spurs with a two goal blitz in the first half at Anfield, Sadio Mane gave Liverpool their pride back and landed them their first league victory of 2017.

It could've been entirely different though, if Spurs had just coughed up the money to sign him.

That's what The Times report anyway, saying that the deal progressed so far that Mane visited Tottenham's training ground to discuss a move from Southampton.

The paper reckons Pochettino wanted him badly but failed to convince the club's hierarchy to pony up the wages that Mane was after.

What impact would he have had?

With eleven goals and four assists in twenty-two Premier League appearances for Liverpool, it's fair to say that his transfer from Southampton has been a massive success.

Spurs have hardly lacked for firepower this season but adding another quality option on their right hand side may have made them unstoppable this term.

A dynamic and exciting threat in the final third, he showed Spurs on Saturday exactly what they've been missing this season. He tore Pochettino's defence apart and on another day could in fact have had a hat-trick.

On the face of it, Spurs have missed out badly by not matching his wage demands and time will tell whether that becomes a more expensive mistake as his Liverpool career develops.

Now a fan favourite at Anfield, the big winners in this scenario are Reds supporters.

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