Tottenham Hotspur reached a critical juncture last summer after falling to an eighth-placed Premier League finish, but Ange Postecoglou's summer appointment has the makings of a successful new era in north London.
In truth, Spurs still have a long way to go and the club's current spot just outside the top four is evidence of this, but some exciting additions and a refreshing new ideology point toward success after several years of struggle.
These recent signings are shaping the squad and proving to be major upgrades on their predecessors: Pedro Porro is a shining example of this, growing into one of Europe's standout right-backs.
That particular position had candidly been one of strife for Tottenham across recent years, with Matt Doherty certainly flattering to deceive across recent years.
The fee Spurs paid for Matt Doherty
Tottenham signed Doherty from Wolverhampton Wanderers for around £15m back in the summer of 2020, the Republic of Ireland international pushing for the transfer after learning of the interest.
Ebullient beginnings swiftly turned to indifference and the versatile defender only managed to start 13 times in the Premier League, though his case wasn't helped by various injuries.
He had enjoyed great success at Molineux, in fairness, having posted 15 goals and 15 assists apiece across the previous two campaigns for Nuno Espirito Santo's high-flying Wolves side, but the move didn't work out and he failed to reach the same heights in London, signing for Atletico Madrid on a free transfer in January 2023 after a mutual termination of his contract was agreed.
How Doherty compared to Serge Aurier
Doherty spent two-and-a-half years on Tottenham's books and earned a healthy salary of £74k per week, meaning that he cost just shy of £10m in wages despite failing to really make his mark.
The 32-year-old did feature 71 times in total, scoring three goals and supplying eight assists, but after starting just 29 Premier League matches he hardly represented value for money.
Indeed, by combining that salary with his £15m transfer fee, Doherty actually cost Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy around £25m during his ineffectual stay, leaving the club a worse signing than his positional peer Serge Aurier.
Aurier joined Tottenham from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £23m back in 2017 following Kyle Walker's lucrative sale to a burgeoning Pep Guardiola-led project at Manchester City.
A shrewd sum for a player of considerable talent, but the Ivorian dynamo failed to ever really replicate the form that attracted lofty praise in France, even savagely chided by pundit Jamie Carragher for being "maybe one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football" at one stage.
That said, while Aurier was guilty of inexplicable and rash decisions at times, he did contribute offensively and finished his time at Tottenham with eight goals and 17 assists across 110 outings.
Doherty, sadly, was stricken by injuries and repeated losses of form that hampered his Spurs career, with correspondent Alasdair Gold noting that he was "struggling” to find his feet.
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Porro, at least, is proving himself a thrilling option for Postecoglou's side, with the Spaniard's performances demonstrating just how poor the likes of Aurier and Doherty really were.
