Tottenham take on Nottingham Forest this weekend needing a win to allay their relegation fears but things could have been very different
As Tottenham Hotspur prepare for a crucial Premier League match against Nottingham Forest, plenty of eyes will be on Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White. There was a point over the summer when it looked as though the England international would be heading to Spurs but instead he has a chance to deepen their relegation woes.
Forest felt Spurs had made an illegal approach for the star amid allegations confidential details of the 26-year-old's release clause had been disclosed. Ultimately, the move never materialised as Gibbs-White agreed a new three-year deal with his club.
"I’ve felt at home at Forest from the moment I arrived," he said after signing new terms. "The support from the fans, my teammates, and everyone around the club has been unbelievable.
"I believe in what we're building here – and with the backing of Mr Marinakis and the enormous ambition he has, I want to be part of making something special. I’m excited for what’s to come."
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In August, he spoke about another unseen factor in his decision to stay put. Gibbs-White and fiancee Britney de Villiers welcomed their second child, Hayes, over the summer after a particularly stressful pregnancy.
"Obviously in the summer, everybody's seen what was going on and whatever," the footballer told talkSPORT. "But away from that, it was a really difficult period for me and my fiancee. Having my second child, but there were a few complications with all of that.
"I believed in being professional, showing up every day and letting everything else take care of what it needs to do. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I'm delighted with my decision, more than happy. I think my fiancee is even more happy because she didn't get to carry on with all the stress."
Spurs did still spend big over the summer with more than £150million going towards new signings. However, we've looked at how things might have gone had they landed some of their targets.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White still feels like the big one who got away. He could have offered the creative spark Spurs have lost while also contributing goals - essentially, the things they have missed the most while James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have missed the entire season through injury.
Without his goals, Forest might well be more than a point below their weekend opponents. He has scored eight times in the league, including a late winner against fellow strugglers West Ham in January, while also delivering two league assists.
The money that might have been spent on Gibbs-White ended up being spent on Xavi Simons. The Dutch star might have scored twice against Atletico Madrid in midweek but his league tally stands at just one goal.
Ebere Eze
Eze was another potential playmaker on Spurs' radar over the summer. In fact, they looked to have the deal locked up before Arsenal stole in at the eleventh hour.
The former QPR and Crystal Palace ace put Spurs to the sword in style in November, scoring a hat-trick as Arsenal won the North London Derby 4-1. He scored two more in the reverse fixture but only has one other goal in the league this term.
Eze does appear to be hitting his stride at last if the Gunners' midweek win over Bayer Leverkusen is anything to go by. It's hard to tell whether he would have proved better suited to Spurs' tactics but there's an argument that he hasn't been as big a miss as anticipated just yet.
Bryan Mbeumo
When Thomas Frank took over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there was talk of a reunion with Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon star was fresh off the best scoring season of his career under Frank at Brentford so it felt like a no-brainer.
Spurs could even offer Champions League football, something rivals Manchester United were unable to do. And yet Mbeumo decided Old Trafford was the place for him.
So far, he has been vindicated and is leading a charge for Champions League qualification. Richarlison is the only Spurs player who can match his return of nine league goals, with their wide forward options some way short of that.
Yoane Wissa
Another former Brentford star, Wissa was linked with Spurs, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest when it looked as though his time in West London was up. He had scored 19 league goals under Frank the season prior so there was little concern about a failure to gel with the Danish boss.
Ultimately, the asking price made this a non-starter. Brentford held out for more and more money, with Newcastle eventually paying £50m for the Congolese international.
Wissa's time in the north east has been nothing short of a nightmare, with a knee injury making for a stop-start campaign which has seen him score just three times in all competitions. Spurs can count this as a bullet dodged.
Antoine Semenyo
Yes, Spurs were keen on Semenyo over the summer, but who wasn't? The Ghanaian international signed a new Bournemouth contract in July to all but rule out a summer exit but eventually moved to Manchester City in January.
Semenyo has 15 league goals to his name this season, 10 of those coming for the Cherries before his move. The last of them was a stoppage-time winner against Spurs which contributed to the post-Christmas decline under Frank.
Spurs were more successful in their pursuit of Semenyo's international team-mate Mohammed Kudus. However, his injury has proved damaging, with no wins in 10 games since he was forced off in the January draw with Sunderland.
Between them, the five players would have likely added the creativity and spark in attack that Tottenham have often lacked this season, meaning they may not have become embroiled in the relegation battle had they all proved successful.