Tottenham Hotspur have been a side crying out for transparency from the top for years now, as their desire to see the questionable decisions explained has seldom been fed.

Led by chairman Daniel Levy, the 61-year-old has often been on the end of vicious criticism for a lack of spending, terrible managerial appointments, clueless player acquisitions and more, but his work on the financial side of things could rarely be faulted.

He has forged a fine business model with the foundation for huge successes in the near future, as a commercially viable outfit with the football to match of late.

So, what makes things even more positive is his replies at the club's recent Fan Forum, in which he answered openly about the transition from a progressive coach like Mauricio Pochettino to silverware-chasing legends like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte:

"I want to win as much as anyone else. The frustration of not winning and the pressure from some players and a large part of the fanbase impacted me, it was a lot of pressure.

"We came so close with Poch and we changed strategy and hired win now managers, it didn’t work, wrong hires. So maybe it will take longer, maybe we need this strategy and that’s why I hired Ange."

To see Levy take responsibility marks a refreshing change for the supporters, who largely understood the decision, although it failed spectacularly. Now, with Ange Postecoglou at the helm, hopefully he has his head coach for the foreseeable future, ready to lead them towards trophies in a way that captures the imagination.

That's not to suggest that the chairman is completely exempt from criticisms of the past though, with one failed transfer pursuit in 2016 of Sadio Mane likely still haunting him and the current Chelsea manager given what could have been had they seen the deal through.

Did Spurs nearly sign Sadio Mane?

Speaking on the Athletic’s ‘The View From The Lane’ podcast, journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke noted: "The other forward they looked at in 2016 and they nearly got him I think, was Mane who has obviously turned out to be an unbelievably good footballer."

This was not the first suggestion that they had tried to sign the Senegalese superstar though, who would move to Liverpool for £34m, and has since joined Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr for a further £24m after a brief spell at Bayern Munich

The Times seeks to support such a notion, further outlining Levy's frugality by suggesting that Mane had even visited the club's training ground before the finances got in the way. At the time, Harry Kane remained their top earner on £100k-per-week, despite having just scored a whopping 25 goals in the Premier League the season before.

Unsurprisingly, the former Southampton forward wanted far more of an incentive to pick them over the Merseyside outfit, which Levy could not provide. An inability to find those funds pushed the dynamic winger into the arms of a rival, who went on to explode with the 31-year-old a key cog in Jurgen Klopp's side.

Was Sadio Mane better than Heung-min Son?

Given how Mane starred on the left flank, immediately this failed transfer venture brings up an argument over whether he would have been a more integral figure in north London than Heung-min Son has been.

After all, the South Korean had been signed just a year before the £650k-per-week week wizard joined the Reds, and has since enjoyed similar proficiency throughout his time in England that saw the two become rivals.

269

378

120

148

48

80

7.36 (2018/19)

7.50 (2021/22)

12

0

However, former Spurs favourite Robbie Keane sought to dispel the debate, boldly claiming: "For me, honestly, I think he is one of the best players we have ever seen in the Premier League. I don’t think he gets the respect that he should get."

That is not to suggest that Mane was not also on the receiving end of such praise, with Klopp having gone one further to say: "One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is. He leaves with our gratitude and our love. He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football."

Writer DaveOCKOP would back this statement up too: "A true legend of Liverpool FC, he gave his all for the club."

It is true that Mane became a hero at Anfield, with his exploits helping them to win it all. The speedster played a huge hand in winning the Premier League and Champions League alongside numerous other domestic honours, with his goals proving integral as he showed up in the big moments.

Such a tendency to appear when needed is unquantifiable, but it does lend to the suggestion that he was at the very least more prolific than Son.

Although the current club captain is often lauded for his clinical nature in front of goal, it is a testament to Mane's quality that he has arguably outscored him during their respective periods with these two English greats.

After all, across his six years and 269 games with Liverpool, the 97-cap whiz scored 120 times and assisted a further 48. This meant that he would find the net every 2.24 games, which marks an impressive figure for a natural wide man.

Meanwhile, Son has currently scored 148 goals in 378 games, and whilst he does have more strikes and will almost certainly continue to add to them, this only averages out at a goal every 2.55; slightly less reliable in front of goal.

Not to mention that, during their most recent full campaigns in the Premier League, Mane averaged a 16% goal conversion before departing whilst his two-footed competition could only muster up 12%.

Although it is extremely close with regard to the quality they boasted across their tenure in England, these figures do suggest that the former Klopp favourite just edged the contest.

With goals at the Allianz Arena to fell Bayern Munich in the Champions League, numerous strikes against title rivals Manchester City, debut stunners against Arsenal and even an equaliser in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

It would be unfair to Mane's trophy-winning legacy to suggest that Son, whose only piece of silverware came with his national team, was a more complete and lethal forward than the current Al Nassr star.