Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has been left disappointed at Tanguy Ndombele's Tottenham Hotspur career, having initially tipped the midfielder to fill the void left by ex-fans' favourite Mousa Dembele.
What's the latest news involving Ndombele?
The 24-year-old is still on Spurs' books despite telling the club hierarchy he wanted to depart before the summer transfer window slammed shut.
Ndombele, who is still the north Londoners’ club-record signing having joined from French side Lyon for £63million two years ago, has grown frustrated after not being included in any of Spurs’ matchday squads since the new season got underway last month.
While Spurs were also open to offloading Ndombele as he does not feature in head coach Nuno Espirito Santo's plans, his options were limited and Bayern Munich - who were keen to negotiate a swap deal involving Corentin Tolisso going in the opposite direction - appeared to be among his only suitors.
However, chairman Daniel Levy and other members of Spurs' board decided against selling Ndombele on transfer deadline day last week.
Ndombele's Spurs contract, which is valued at £200,000-per-week, still has three years to run but can be extended by a further 12 months.
What has Michael Bridge said about Ndombele?
Bridge followed Ndombele closely while Spurs were in pursuit of the central midfielder and felt he could be the perfect replacement for Dembele, who went on to become a hero among the club's supporters as he made 249 appearances following a 2012 switch from London rivals Fulham.
But Bridge has been left frustrated by the former Lyon man.
He told GMS: "It's been a bit disappointing, we've got to be honest.
"When Spurs signed him, we kept showing footage of him for Lyon at Manchester City and Barcelona. I thought, 'wow, what a player' and felt they had found their Mousa Dembele replacement because he was bombing past players with ease and making the game look easy.
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"I was thinking, for all the criticism they get, well done Tottenham Hotspur because you have found a very able replacement for Mousa Dembele.
"But, for one reason or another, it's just not happened enough. We see glimpses of brilliance but I think fans are starting to run out of patience now and this season is make-or-break for him."
What has Ndombele done in his Spurs career so far?
After making a promising start to life in north London by netting on his debut against Aston Villa, Ndombele went on to only make 29 appearances during his first season with the club as injuries caused havoc.
He then went on to feature 46 times last term but has been frozen out by new head coach Nuno since his appointment in June.