With Harry Kane leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, supporters would have been forgiven for a growing sense of worry that their club was about to enter the throes of negative change, slumping to an eighth-place Premier League finish last season.
This lowly final standing meant that continental football could only be watched from a distance, indeed confirming in Kane's mind that, at age 30, winning silverware needs to take priority, and so he moved to Bayern Munich, albeit facing the daunting and unexpected possibility of a barren year in Germany.
In fairness, though, the England men's captain has been superlative this term having posted 31 goals and eight assists across 31 appearances in all competitions after bagging 30 Premier League goals during 2022/23 for struggling Spurs.
How do you replace such a singular, world-class centre-forward? Well, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy seemingly arrived at the resolution that you couldn't and thus opted against signing a direct successor.
Heung-min Son and Richarlison have been tasked with sharing the striking burden and the duo have done so emphatically, with Richarlison overcoming his woes to score nine goals from his past ten top-flight fixtures while Son dazzles through his dynamic blend of offensive abilities.
James Maddison arrived in the summer to spark new levels of invention while Brennan Johnson and – in January – Timo Werner have strengthened the frontline.
Still, the search for a striker goes on, with a fresh face likely to be welcomed at the end of the campaign.
Tottenham's search for a centre-forward
Tottenham have been linked with a plethora of potential Kane replacements since Postecoglou's anointment last June, with targets who could yet wind up down N17 consisting of Feyenoord goal machine Santiago Gimenez, Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke and Brentford sensation Ivan Toney.
That list, of course, is not exhaustive and another player who was touted last summer is unknown to most. Indeed, Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund was actually on Levy's radar, according to The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare, though was considered to be "out of reach" before he completed his £72m transfer to Old Trafford.
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Hojlund – who was also believed to be one of their number 1 targets – is young in his career but he has the trappings of a high-class player down the line, having started to grow into his skin considerably over these past few months.
Rasmus Hojlund's season in numbers
Man United desperately needed a new centre-forward last summer and opted to take something of a punt on Hojlund, who had scored nine goals from 20 starts in his sole Serie A campaign, and despite a slow start, the 21-year-old does appear to be edging toward constancy in his goalscoring efforts.
Indeed, while the Denmark international plundered four goals in the Red Devils' ignominious Champions League group phase, he blanked across his opening 14 Premier League matches, though scorn concerning his profligacy has been ripped up after his recent efforts.
Fixture
Date
Goals
Assists
Aston Villa (H)
26/12/23
1
0
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
14/01/24
1
1
Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
01/02/24
1
1
West Ham United (H)
04/02/24
1
0
Aston Villa (A)
11/02/24
1
0
Luton Town (A)
18/02/24
2
0
A recent muscular injury has stifled the rising star as he clicks into destructive gear, but Hojlund has now conquered his lack of confidence and looks set for a rich career of prolificness.
His innate predatory instinct is not going to crumble away and Tottenham must watch his goalscoring feats wistfully, given that he would have been the perfect focal point to spearhead Postecoglou's project.
Rasmus Hojlund is the perfect Harry Kane heir
Hojlund's seven-goal haul since the turn of the calendar year marks a return that denotes his credentials as a world-class forward in the future, and given that this tally surpasses Kane's in 2024, Spurs supporters can see the level of ability Hojlund has at his feet.
Kane, in fairness, is hardly flattering to deceive with six strikes from eight matches, but if Hojlund is now able to use his recent purple patch as the launchpad for a fruitful Red Devils career, he might just sit alongside Scandinavian counterpart Erling Haaland as the striking touchstone.
Player
Market Value
Rasmus Hojlund
£86m
Dejan Kulusevski
£86m
Destiny Udogie
£68m
Cristian Romero
£51m
Brennan Johnson
£51m
Pedro Porro
£51m
James Maddison
£42m
Richarlison
£42m
Micky van de Ven
£42m
Pape Matar Sarr
£42m
Regarding Kane, the 6 foot 3 Hojlund is certainly not cut from the same cloth but was described as a "unique rough diamond" by the MEN's Samuel Luckhurst after making the move to Manchester, with qualities that make him the perfect fit for any ambitious Premier League outfit seeking success at the forefront.
Described as a “monster in the making” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the £80k-per-week sharpshooter also thrives through his weaving movement and adroit dribbling, stretching backlines and almost preternaturally recognising opportunities unseen to the blinkered vision of most.
Of course, with the likes of Son and James Maddison supplementing him, he would find the steady source of creativity that he has not quite been provided with at Old Trafford.
In fairness, Richarlison is proving that he can hit veins of form to match the recent success of Manchester United's talisman, who remains untested for a sustained period in the Premier League, but there's no denying Hojlund's prodigious attacking ability.
The stability, collective strength and need for a new talisman would have made the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium an exciting stomping ground for the Dane to have moved to, but now it does look like he will ply his trade at the Theatre of Dreams over the coming years.
Postecoglou and Levy work well together and there will be confidence that the right player will be signed come summer, but Hojlund has started to show his quality of late and it might go down as a rueful missed opportunity.