It could be one of the biggest "what if" transfers.
Instead of scoring the goals to lift Nottingham Forest closer to safety, Morgan Gibbs-White could have been Tottenham’s saviour.
Spurs thought they had their man last July but the transfer saga – during which Forest threatened legal action – could still have ramifications 10 months later.
The England international's first hat-trick in Sunday's 4-1 win over Burnley lifted Forest five points above the Premier League relegation zone with five games left and pushed Tottenham closer to the drop.
Gibbs-White also scored Forest's winner in Thursday's 1-0 Europa League quarter-final second-leg victory over Porto, which sent them through 2-1 on aggregate and set up a semi-final with Aston Villa.
It has left him on 15 goals in all competitions for Forest this season and the 26-year-old is proving the difference as Vitor Pereira's side look for survival ahead of Spurs.
Forest had problems at home in the league, having won only two of their previous 11 top-flight outings at the City Ground.
In that time they had scored nine goals, but six of them came in wins against Leeds and Tottenham.
They were without a win at home in the league since 14 December, when they beat Spurs 3-0, and needed someone to step up. Cue Gibbs-White.
"When I was watching the first half we were talking together. Morgan was not in his best condition," said Pereira.
"In the first half the team didn't find him in the right timings, spaces and didn't find him in the way we wanted.
"I asked them [at half-time], 'let's go to prove our quality and spirit'.
"He went in his pocket. He has a lot of talent in his pocket, a lot of team spirit and character, and he leads the team. I have leaders inside the team. They proved together we never give up."
Gibbs-White's treble – the first time he has scored more than once in a game since 2022 – made him the joint highest English scorer in the Premier League this season, on 12 with Brighton’s Danny Welbeck.
It was also a reminder to England manager Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup after Gibbs-White was left out of the 35-man squad last month for games with Japan and Uruguay.
Pereira said: "He deserves it because he has the quality of a leader.
"When things are not happening in the way we want, when the team is struggling, I know a lot of players in this moment they prefer to hide themselves.
"This is not for Morgan. He wants the ball, wants the responsibility and wants to score goals and assist.
"He is a fantastic player for us, not only technically and tactically but about character."
Read more on Gibbs-White’s fine form
