Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a busy and productive summer transfer window but the north Londoners could live to regret missing out on one man...

What's the word?

According to Get French Football News, Ligue 1 outfit Lyon rejected a bid from Spurs for their striker Moussa Dembele in the final week of the window.

It's claimed that Daniel Levy offered a similar deal to that of Giovani Lo Celso, an initial loan with an obligation to buy, and the 24-year-old's agent Pini Zahavi was keen to make the move.

However, it was quickly rebuffed by Lyon boss Rudi Garcia, who then axed him from their Sunday night game with Marseille. Spurs were left frustrated and instead signed off a loan-to-buy for Benfica frontman Carlos Vinicius.

Willian 2.0?

Should Spurs have tried harder to clinch the prolific Frenchman? Going by history, the answer is probably yes.

In a weird reversal of the situation, this move could bear similarities to that of Willian back in 2013.

The Brazillian winger was on the verge of signing for Tottenham before a late change of heart saw him end up at local rivals Chelsea and whilst Dembele is remaining at Lyon for now, that could quickly change after another good campaign.

Dembele bagged 16 goals whilst averaging 2.1 shots, 0.9 dribbles and 0.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored, it's no wonder he's been lauded as the "perfect no.9" before.

"He is an exceptional player," once said Man City boss Pep Guardiola whilst former Celtic teammate Leigh Griffiths described the 24-year-old as "one of the top young talents in Europe," adding that he's "unplayable" at times.

Spurs could well be onto a winner with Vinicius, something that only time will tell but you can't help but feel they may have missed a trick with the £36m-rated Lyon talisman.

The Willian saga has haunted N17 for many, many years so hopefully, Dembele doesn't come back to hurt Spurs in the future whether that be in Europe or if he clinches that move to the Premier League

AND in other news, Mourinho favourite dubbed "amazing" could be running out of time at Spurs...