Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge says it was so evident that Tottenham needed to replace Christian Eriksen.
Following six-and-a-half successful seasons in north London, the Danish attacking midfielder left for Inter Milan almost two years ago having entered the final 12 months of his contract, with the club reluctant to let him go on a free.
Why did Eriksen leave Tottenham?
It was simple, a matter of days after Mauricio Pochettino's side lost the Champions League final, Eriksen spoke publicly when on international duty with Denmark and said that he wanted a new challenge.
Surprisingly, Eriksen, capped 109 times by Denmark, ended up staying at Tottenham in that window despite strong links to both Real Madrid and Manchester United.
However, with just one year remaining on his current deal, Pochettino added Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso to his squad with Eriksen likely to leave at some point over the next few months.
He did finally get his move and then helped Inter claim their first Serie A title for more than a decade despite a topsy-turvy spell in Italy, which almost ended in a swift exit.
He hasn't been able to show the same form since he left the Premier League and with Tottenham suffering from a lack of creativity under Nuno Espirito Santo, Bridge looks back on the Eriksen situation as a period when Spurs should have signed a replacement.
What did Bridge say?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "It was so evident when Eriksen was at the club, and he was having these contract disputes with Spurs.
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"He was on the bench, Villa at home, Spurs were awful, he comes on, runs the show and they scored three goals in 12 minutes.
"Olympiacos, I think, two down Mourinho took Eric Dier off, Eriksen comes on, cross from wide, goal. Everyone needs one of these players."
Why didn't Tottenham sign a replacement?
When Eriksen was on the verge of leaving in 2019, Lo Celso and Ndombele came in on the back of impressive seasons for Real Betis and Lyon respectively.
Those two were meant to provide the creativity and goal involvements in the Dane's absence, but it simply hasn't worked out for either, with just six Premier League goals between them.
But Tottenham have still missed several opportunities in various transfer windows to act on that and finally sign a number 10, which is why Bridge is so frustrated.
Their cause hasn't been helped by Dele Alli's form dropping off dramatically since the Champions League final, which has left a gap behind Harry Kane over the last two years, with no one staking a claim to regularly play there.