To succeed at the height that an ambitious manager such as Ange Postecoglou strives for, a football club needs to ensure every department is improving and united in a single goal.
Take Tottenham Hotspur's fiery London rivals: Arsenal. Mikel Arteta joined back in December 2019 and took an outfit that was lacking purpose, presence and identity, instilling his tactical vision over a number of years, ensuring recruitment was sharpened and streamlined, freeing the Emirates of the flotsam and jetsam that had marooned the club on the fringes of success.
Arsenal had, candidly, become something of a laughing stock after interminably struggling to enter the ascendency post-Arsene Wenger, but now thrive as one of the Premier League's title contenders, with a framework that seems purposed to last.
But the real locus of a top-flight club's prosperity lies in the robustness of the youth academy. Manchester City are the cream of the crop in this regard, while Chelsea's Cobham academy notoriously churns out a remarkable line of teenage talents.
Tottenham, now under Postecoglou's guidance, are starting to reap the rewards of bringing the younger generation to the fore; Harry Kane is one of the finest footballers to emerge from an English club in several generations but he is something of a rarity in the Lilywhites' case.
But his career showcases the riches that can be plundered by entrusting the younger with a platform to prove their worth.
Harry Kane's career so far
Kane posted 280 goals and 64 assists over 435 fixtures for Tottenham and left last summer as the club's record scorer. Moreover, he is England men's top scorer with 62 strikes from 89 caps.
He was widely accepted as a "world-class" striker – as has been said by the likes of Antonio Conte, and is one of the most complete attacking players currently competing.
He joined Bayern in an initial £82m deal in August 2023 after scoring 30 Premier League goals in a frankly awful Spurs side last season, deciding to depart after slumping to an eighth-placed finish. He'd given his all.
But while Kane never got his hands on silverware with Tottenham, he unquestionably established himself as a true English great, with his remarkable rate of scoring in the Premier League and leadership at the front of the Spurs team leaving all onlookers in awe – Pep Guardiola, for example, has remarked that Kane remains "one of the best strikers" he has ever seen.
1.
Alan Shearer
441
260
0.59
2.
Harry Kane
320
213
0.67
3.
Wayne Rooney
491
208
0.42
4.
Andy Cole
414
187
0.45
5.
Sergio Aguero
275
184
0.67
Since moving to Bayern, Kane instantly hit the rich vein of form that many expected, scoring 40 goals and adding 13 assists from 41 matches in all competitions.
As per FBref, Kane ranks among the top 2% of centre-forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 12% for assists and the top 8% for progressive passes per 90, highlighting his elite quality in the final third and his ball-playing mastery.
Kane's incredible ability to drop deeper and influence plays speaks of elite-level skills that few of his position could emulate, if any to the same degree.
His start to life in Germany has been described as "astonishing" by his manager Thomas Tuchel, and while Die Roten have been subpar this season, the forward is serving as the offensive fulcrum that could yet see the struggling German giants secure the shiniest of silverware this season.
Tottenham supporters might watch on wistfully but the Spurs legend devoted many years of service to the north London side, and while his exit is still keenly felt, a new star in the form of Mikey Moore might just prove to be the latest prodigy emerging from N17.
Why Spurs must unleash Mikey Moore
Moore is only 16 years old but he possesses that natural style and confidence that suggests he is suited for a career right at the very top.
The Evening Standard recently put together a list of London's most exciting prospects and described Moore as the pick of the bunch: 'Widely considered one of the best young talents in the capital. A strong, skilful player with a powerful build who has caught the eye with his dribbling and finishing.'
The road from Wonderkid to world-class phenom is long and freight with peril, but it is doable and if Moore's development is managed right, if he is nurtured and plies his trade diligently, then there is every chance that he can carry the quality that has earned high praise at this early stage.
Postecoglou certainly seems to think so, having allowed Moore to train with the first-team after an incredible campaign, having scored 16 goals and supplied nine assists from just 14 fixtures for the U18s this season.
This return, not including a run of six goals and four assists from five matches with England U17s and U16s, has even led transfer guru Fabrizio Romano to herald the versatile teenager as a budding "superstar."
And why not? Aged just 16, Moore has completed a week's worth of training sessions with the Spurs senior squad and is creeping toward a debut.
A series of injuries this season have hindered the teenager – he was expected to cement a place in Wayne Burnett's U21 squad, top of the Premier League 2, but for a fractured leg suffered while on international duty. Still, he's overcome adversity and his prolific record bespeaks his immense powers of recovery.
There's every chance that Moore will find a place in Tottenham's pre-season plans, and should he make a good impression, a senior debut might even be less than one year away.
