Report: Pochettino wanted Mane and Wijnaldum at Spurs before Liverpool moves

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A report from the Daily Mail has suggested that Mauricio Pochettino wanted Tottenham Hotspur to sign Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum before the pair both joined Liverpool.

Pochettino’s tenure at Spurs will unquestionably be remembered with a lot of fondness, regardless of whether you are a Tottenham supporter or not.

But it will also, unfortunately, have a large asterix against it with Spurs failing to win a trophy under the Argentinian.

Of course, there is little point wondering what could have happened had things worked out differently. But that may not stop some Tottenham fans wondering whether history would read differently had Pochettino landed two of his targets almost four years ago.

The Daily Mail has claimed that the then-Spurs boss wanted both Mane and Wijnaldum after the club missed out on the title to Leicester City.

At the time, Mane was at Southampton while Wijnaldum was at the other end of the country at Newcastle.

By the end of the summer however, they would be together. But rather than sign for Tottenham, both players would join Liverpool.

And they been inspired signings for the Reds, particularly Mane. The Senegal international averages a goal every two Premier League games for Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Wijnaldum goes a lot more under the radar at Anfield. But he has produced some colossal performances during his time on Merseyside.

In fairness, Tottenham did complete an inspired deal for a midfielder that summer. Victor Wanyama was simply sensational in the first year after his arrival.

But when you look at the other signings, it becomes harder to not wonder what may have been.

Moussa Sissoko is now a fan-favourite, but that never looked on the cards after his debut season for Spurs.

Meanwhile, Vincent Janssen and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou made little impact during their spells at Tottenham.