Tottenham Hotspur have been in fine fettle since the summer break and look to have drawn the curtain on an interminable period of instability preceding Ange Postecoglou's summer appointment.
The Australian gaffer was plucked from Scottish Premiership champions Celtic and has swiftly built the framework for lasting success in north London.
Last season, Tottenham finished eighth in the Premier League in what was the club's lowest final standing since 2009, having dismissed esteemed manager Antonio Conte in March and sold world-class talisman and club record scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in August.
The sale of Kane was more than just a bitter pill to swallow, but if Postecoglou's preparations were dented by the situation then such has not been seen on the exterior, with Spurs barrelling into title contention and currently topping the league table after eight matches.
Several formerly struggling stars such as Heung-min Son (now club captain), Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma have been transformed and very much look fit for purpose at the heart of a burgeoning squad, the latter man, in particular, having been the club's "best, most consistent player" this time around, according to pundit Micah Richards.
Equally, acquisitions of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Gugliemo Vicario – a list which is not exhaustive – are proving to be revelations, adding dimensions to create a new, exciting culture.
Another fresh face, Destiny Udogie, was actually signed from Italian side Udinese in 2022 for an initial £15m but spent the 2022/23 campaign back on loan in the Serie A.
However, having been described as a "beast" by Maddison for his stunning start to the present season, the 20-year-old looks to be the left-back addition that the club has been searching for since Danny Rose plied his trade several years ago, while he was at his best.
When did Tottenham sign Danny Rose?
In 2007, Tottenham signed 17-year-old prospect Rose from Leeds United, with the youngster having never featured for the Elland Road side's first-team but held in high regard as one of English football's most talented of his age group.
He made a truly emphatic entrance, rifling the most delightful and satisfying of debut goals against Arsenal on his Premier League debut in 2010.
It's all the more commendable considering the fact that the 5 foot 8 whiz has only scored ten times across the entirety of his professional club career, with that sole league appearance of the campaign resulting in a goal of the highest distinction.
How good was Danny Rose?
Immensely talented, Rose has suffered from incessant injury problems across the majority of his professional career, having never once played more than 30 Premier League matches in one term.
In total, he completed 213 appearances for Tottenham, scoring nine goals and supplying 29 assists, very much a stalwart having spent more than a decade within the first-team squad, particularly important during the golden days of Mauricio Pochettino's reign.
At his best, Rose was combative, enterprising and tenacious, a veritable hive of energy and integral to the fluidity of his squad, with journalist Ryan Rosenblatt once saying: "Whether he's at left back or midfield, or Spurs are comfortable or getting worked, Rose has thrown everything he has at every run, header, tackle and pass. He's a damn hero."
But, as stated, he never quite managed to unearth the formula to regularity on the pitch, instead hindered by his injuries, and with this in mind, it is poignant that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy failed to convince Manchester United to secure his services in 2018.
Should Tottenham have sold Danny Rose to Manchester United?
Rose had just enjoyed significant success across the 2016/17 Premier League season, recording an average of 1.4 key passes, 2.8 tackles and 2.9 clearances per game, succeeding with 58% of his frequent dribbles and 60% of his contested duels, as per Sofascore.
However, the late phase of the campaign saw the 29-cap England international confined to the sidelines, with a knee injury playing detriment to his progress on the pitch for much of 2017.
This did not stop Manchester United from registering a concrete interest, with manager Jose Mourinho unimpressed by Luke Shaw's injury issues and earmarking the Spurs full-back to cement his place as the starring left-back at Old Trafford.
According to the Sun, Manchester United were ready to pay £50m for the dynamo in 2017, and were considering advancing their intrigue in January 2018.
However, in June 2018, after another season of inconsistency on the fitness front, it was revealed that Mourinho was no longer enamoured with the prospect of securing Rose's signature, having instead signed dynamic defender Diogo Dalot from Porto for around £19m, with the 19-year-old Portuguese player deemed a more prudent long-term investment.
Well, it has to be said that this was probably the right move to have made, with the Red Devil transfer interest seemingly signalling the end to the former Spurs star's impressive feats on the pitch.
Injuries and a loss of form have been detrimental over the past few years, and, now aged 33, Rose is unemployed and last played professional football with Watford in the late days of 2021.
He only managed eight Premier League appearances during the 2020/21 season with the Hornets, having signed after the conclusion of his Tottenham contract, with December proving to be the final time he would grace the grass.
Previously branded "abysmal” by pundit Roy Keane, Rose's decline was a sad thing to see and, now unemployed having rejected interest from Greek side AEK Athens in 2022, now looks to have ended his career at the very highest level.
To think that Tottenham could have rinsed Man United for a staggering sum but ultimately lost Rose for absolutely nothing is indeed something that will rankle Levy.
And while Tottenham are flourishing at present, had this situation been conducted in a more diligent manner, the issues surrounding the left-back position could have been solved by the reinvestment from a £50m sale.