The return of Gareth Bale, initially supposed to inspire Tottenham, is now looking like one of the more erratic decisions the club have made this season.
Much like with the appointment of Jose Mourinho, Daniel Levy may have been overcome with nostalgia when he agreed to pay half of the Welshman's wages.
Mourinho himself seems to be getting a little touchy, too. He lashed out at reporter Alison Bender when she asked why he hadn't brought Bale on against Chelsea, insisting she didn't "deserve an answer".
The forward will always enjoy legendary status in north London because of his 42 Premier League goals and 20 assists the first time around.
Throw in some of the most iconic performances in Spurs' recent history against Inter Milan and it's easy to see why fans were so elated by his comeback.
Reality has started to hit home, however, and the Daily Mail report that Tottenham's patience is now wearing thin with the 31-year-old, with those within the club questioning his "work rate", "application" and "appetite".
Intensifying the scrutiny on Bale's diminishing returns are his extortionate wages. Spurs and Real Madrid share the burden of his £650,000-a-week bill.
That always seemed a ludicrous sum while he was being exiled by Zinedine Zidane.
It doesn't make great reading at Tottenham either, especially when it's weighed up against what he's actually contributed.
The Sun have provided the full breakdown of how much he has earned per action at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to Mourinho using him sparingly.
- Cost per goal: £1.3 million
- Cost per chance: £650,000
- Cost per pass: £28,000
- Cost per minute: £9,000
The deal was announced on September 19 and he didn't make his debut until October 18 in the 3-3 draw with West Ham, a game in which he missed a gilt-edged chance.
That set the tone for what has followed and he's only made two Premier League starts since then.
In total, he's played 15 times in all competitions, with five of those appearances coming as a substitute. The competition he's been utilised the most in is the Europa League (with six appearances), which is probably the final nail in the coffin of his fringe status.
Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has insisted Bale, whom he transformed from a shy, erratic left-back to one of the best attackers in the world, isn't being given a fair shot by Mourinho.
"He's hardly had a chance, to be fair to him," Redknapp said on Sky Sports, per Football365.
"He didn't play well against Brighton, but who did? He was no worse than anyone else.
"Gareth can play, again. You've got to know him. As great a player as he has been, he was in the top five players in the world when I had him and he went to Real Madrid. He's not an overconfident person."
Tottenham must be questioning why they brought him back at all.