Tottenham Hotspur have been far more proactive under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, with last season's struggle and discordancy under Antonio Conte firmly in the past.
Despite Harry Kane's 30-goal haul in the Premier League, Spurs slumped to an eighth-placed finish that ended 13 successive years of continental qualification, bereft of enterprise in their attacking play and reliant on individual brilliance and flashes of quality.
This lack of togetherness was the real locus of Tottenham's struggle but a backline bereft of confidence and strength created an environment that was always going to hinder the chance of success, in turn convincing Kane to finally draw the curtain on his career at the club.
And so the 30-year-old striker – described as "one of the best I've seen" by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola – completed an initial £86m transfer to German giants Bayern Munich last August after becoming Tottenham's all-time top scorer months before.
With one year remaining on his contract at the time, it came as no surprise that the rumours surrounding his departure coalesced into the plain truth that, yes, he had decided to take his leave after 432 appearances and 280 goals for Tottenham and status as a Premier League great.
Harry Kane's numbers after leaving Spurs
Make no mistake, Kane's absence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is keenly felt. Sure, Heung-min Son has stepped up to the plate as the club's starring talisman and Richarlison has unlocked a rich vein of goalscoring form, with nine goals from his past ten league matches, but the Three Lions' captain is one of the finest centre-forwards of his generation.
Obviously, Tottenham are performing at a superior level this season, but Postecoglou's project would be in an even more promising position were Kane still plying his trade at the club, with his goals, leadership and intelligence the difference between fighting for top four and challenging for the Premier League title.
Interestingly, Kane's maiden year at the Allianz Arena has not gone to plan, with Thomas Tuchel's struggling side trailing high-flying Bayer Leverkusen by ten points in the title race, having won the past 11 Bundesliga titles.
Moreover, Bayern Munich lost the DFL-Supercup and were felled in the DFB Pokal second round by Saarbrucken, who compete in the third tier.
Kane's never-ending wait for silverware drags on, but on an individual level the Englishman is performing at staggering heights, having plundered 36 goals and 11 assists from 34 matches in all competitions including 30 goals from 25 league fixtures.
As per FBref, the £411k-per-week phenomenon ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 15% for assists and the top 8% for progressive passes per 90, highlighting his first-rate skill as a goalscorer but also his elite playmaking ability.
He's a generational talent and while it was sad to see him go, cashing in for a lucrative amount last summer was probably the best way for Tottenham, injecting funds to fuel a new era instead of eking out the last of his quality before seeing him depart on a free.
It would be impossible for Tottenham to sell a star for more money any time soon… right?
Tottenham's next big sale
Pedro Porro is the man who might just boast a market value to surpass that of Kane, with the Spanish right-back believed to be valued at a record figure by Tottenham this year following interest from Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's outfit have already raided Spurs for a right-sided defender in the past and indeed plucked Kyle Walker for £53m back in 2017 – a world-record fee for a defender at the time.
According to Football Insider back in January, Manchester City have been hoping to re-sign Porro after letting him go during his younger years, but Tottenham quelled any immediate concerns by placing a £100m price tag on the 24-year-old.
Porro signed for Spurs on loan in January 2023 with an obligation to buy in the summer for £40m, now activated, and while he struggled to perform during his first months, he's now one of the Premier League's finest full-backs and will be in line for Tottenham's Player of the Season award, albeit with some fierce competition from the likes of Son.
Pedro Porro's season in numbers
Back in February 2023, Porro was "destroyed" on his Premier League debut against Leicester City, according to Tim Sherwood, failing to mesh the cogs together and leading pundit Jamie Carragher to remark that he "can't defend" after a 6-1 loss against Newcastle United several months later.
1.
Emerson Palmieri
West Ham United
78
2.
Tyrick Mitchell
Crystal Palace
77
3.
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
73
4.
Pedro Porro
Tottenham Hotspur
70
5.
Destiny Udogie
Tottenham Hotspur
63
Now, he's performing at the top of his game under Postecoglou's management and has been dubbed a "bulldog" by his teammate Dejan Kulusevski: immense defensively, influential in attack (Porro is Tottenham's second-highest assist maker) and difficult to contain as he charges up and down the right channel.
As per Sofascore, the £85k-per-week defender has chalked up seven assists from 24 Premier League appearances this term, completing 80% of his passes, succeeding with 59% of his dribbles and averaging 1.7 key passes, 2.9 tackles, 5.6 ball recoveries, 2.5 clearances and five successful duels per game.
Moreover, the 5 foot 9 ace ranks among the top 18% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 4% for assists, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for tackles and the top 3% for blocks per 90.
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Dynamic and effective in a fluid Postecoglou system, Porro is part of a new wave of talent that looks set to take Tottenham to new heights, ensuring that Kane's sale does not prove to be detrimental.
And if the day does come that his departure must be discussed, Daniel Levy might just find that he can recoup a club-record fee. There is much to be excited about down N17.