Leeds United's financial difficulties in the early 2000s were well-documented, and this woe translated into their devastating fall from grace.
In what seemed like an instant, the Whites went from Champions League semi-finalists and Premier League challengers to relegation fodder, culminating in their 2004 slump into the Championship.
During this period, in a desperate attempt to balance the books, many of their top assets were sold at a cut-price as other top clubs came circling around their sinking ship.
They saw opportunities to pick at the bones of this flawed institution that held no bargaining power, and as such their rivals essentially took what they wanted.
This did not end with their relegation though, as a year after then-manager Kevin Blackwell oversaw one of their most frustrating sales as academy graduate Aaron Lennon left for Tottenham Hotspur. Whilst his departure alone stung, the tiny fee paid only served to further twist the knife into their gaping financial wound.
How much did Aaron Lennon cost Tottenham Hotspur?
Having scored only once for the Yorkshire outfit, the 5 foot 5 winger had still captured the attention in their first season in the second division. His electric pace and quick feet made him a threat to any full-back, so it was unsurprising to see him coveted by the likes of Spurs.
However, because of their aforementioned fiscal deficiencies, the Lilywhites would only have to part with £1m to secure this diminutive speedster.
Given how important the 35-year-old became for them, a staple of the Premier League, marks just how big of a blow this turned out to be. Lennon would go on to feature 364 times for Spurs, scoring 30 and assisting 79.
Such was his influence on not just this club but the league as a whole, journalist Joao Vitor Castanheira branded him a "legend" despite only winning a sole EFL Cup.
He truly was capable of the spectacular, with fellow journalist Alasdair Gold reminiscing on the times when the winger would be "tearing defences to shreds with his pace" before finishing things off with a stunner; or as writer Ian Mitchelmore put it, an "absolute beauty".
A nomadic figure who is now synonymous with the English top flight, Lennon would also go on to play for Everton and Burnley whilst becoming a true pioneer in the mental health sphere within the sport.
His work on and off the pitch has made him a true cult hero figure at every club he has graced, but Leeds have the right to feel the hardest done by given the manner in which he was snatched from them only to be turned into a legend for everyone but them.