Tottenham Hotspur are very much aware of the success that can be found in the formative ranks, owing much of their exploits over the past decade to the free-scoring brilliance of Harry Kane.
Ange Postecoglou arrived in the summer to take hold of an outfit bereft of confidence and awaiting a campaign without European football. Antonio Conte had been dismissed in March and a late-season purple patch under interim boss Ryan Mason did not materialise.
Spurs trod to an eighth-placed finish, and with Kane entering the final year of his contract in north London, he was sold to Bayern Munich in August having decided, aged 30 and still without a first taste of silverware, to search for pastures new.
Even the most sanguine of supporters would have been worried about the future, but Postecoglou has transformed the club in a short time to reestablish Spurs as a force in the Premier League.
11 matches in, Tottenham are second in the table, one point off Manchester City, and only suffered defeat for the first time on Monday night in a chaotic match against Chelsea, fighting valiantly despite a two-man disadvantage and having opportunities to level the game late on.
There is renewed optimism at the club, and despite the loss being compounded by injuries to key players – summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison – there is a belief that a successful season can be achieved.
It's remarkable that Postecoglou has implemented his exciting system with such aplomb, all the while without Tottenham's record goalscorer Kane, who has been replaced by newly-appointed captain Heung-min Son as the starring centre-forward.
Harry Kane's Tottenham career
Bursting onto the scene in the Premier League after several loan spells across the different tiers of English professional football, Kane's first full season in the English top flight saw him plunder 29 goals from 49 outings during the 2014/15 campaign.
The £418k-per-week sensation got English football talking, and despite famously earning the tag of 'one season wonder', he is now England's record goalscorer as well as his club's, where he departed having netted 278 times from 430 appearances, also supplying 64 assists.
#
Player
Caps
Goals
1
Harry Kane
87
61
2
Wayne Rooney
120
53
3
Sir Bobby Charlton
106
49
4
Gary Lineker
80
48
5
Jimmy Greaves
57
44
*Provided by Englandfootball.com
To say that he's thriving in Germany would be a vicious understatement. After just 15 matches across all competitions, the 30-year-old has posted 19 goals and seven assists, including a goal and assist apiece against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola stated earlier this year that Kane is "one of the best strikers I have ever seen in my life", and it's hard to dispute that he has been a staggering, all-action force for club and country for many years now.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 10% for assists, the top 16% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90, very much one of the most effective strikers in world football.
Replacing him at Tottenham is a daunting task, though Son's prolific feats this term have been pivotal for the success of Postecoglou's system.
In the long run, however, Spurs could find the dream new talisman and successor to one of the club's greatest ever players in Mikey Moore, who is catching the eye and then some at youth level.
Mikey Moore's statistics at youth level
Aged just 16, Moore has snatched the headlines recently after a stunning performance for England against Croatia U17s, bagging a hat-trick.
Since signing a new deal with Tottenham in the summer, Moore has clinched 17 goals and 11 assists from just 14 matches for club and country. Truly, this is form not too dissimilar to that of Kane in Germany.
A versatile player capable of thriving both on the left flank and in a central offensive position, Moore has scored seven goals and provided four assists from only six outings in the U18 Premier League this term, belying his youthful years with some sensational performances.
Previously hailed for his "outstanding" displays by Spurs expert John Wenham, the teenage prodigy has been utterly astounding and if he can maintain his growth then there is every possibility that he will bloom into a Premier League calibre player worthy of leading the line down the N17.
His prolific performances for club and country have surpassed even that of Son this season, who is leading the line formidably under Postecoglou's guidance.
How Mikey Moore compares to Heung-min Son
Finding the back of the net at youth level is a very different game to sustaining success at the highest level in the Premier League, but all footballing phenomenons begin their journey on the bottom rung of the ladder, and Son is no different.
Signing for Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen for around £22m in 2015, the South Korean captain has been described as a "killer" in attacking movements by former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Typically a left winger, Son has indeed shifted into the role of focal frontman this year and has posted eight goals from as many matches up front, one of the most clinical players the Premier League has to offer.
With one assist as well, Son's nine direct goal contributions for Tottenham this term are actually surpassed by Moore's 11 at youth level, and while the two players' circumstances differ, this is good news for supporters.
The fact that Moore is also competent out wide suggests that he could absorb the fruits of the senior captain's labours, honing his craft and learning from one of the very best.
Postecoglou will be delighted with the progress of his team but, looking toward sustainability in the long-term, his eye will already be on Moore and ensuring that he is aptly nurtured to the fore. He might just be the club's next big thing.
