As Portugal and Monaco star Joao Moutinho gets ready to face Tottenham at Wembley, the midfielder has admitted he could have in fact been playing on the opposite side.
Moutinho has claimed, via Sky Sports, that he was minutes from signing for Spurs in 2012, but the deal fell through.
The 25-year-old even made it to London after Spurs made a Deadline Day bid of £24million for him, but incredibly, the club failed to submit the paperwork to the Premier League in time.
It won’t be the first time Monaco have travelled to the capital to face Mauricio Pochettino’s men, but the Ligue 1 side will be hoping for a much better result than their 4-1 defeat in the Europa League last season.
This game will look very different, not least because it’s at Wembley in front of around 80,000 Lilywhites fans.
However, Moutinho has insisted that while his side will be underdogs, Spurs don’t necessarily have the advantage despite what is expected to be a baying crowd.
“Every player in our team will have played in similar situations, in front of big crowds. As players, it’s something we love.
“Most of the fans will be against us, we know that, and they will be for Spurs but this is only extra motivation. We love that pressure and we know if we play 100 per cent with can come away with a positive result.”
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