The March international break has arrived and Tottenham Hotspur might welcome the opportunity to recalibrate after slumping to a 3-0 Premier League defeat against Fulham last weekend.
The disparity in performance from the week before, thumping top four rivals Aston Villa 4-0 in their own backyard, couldn't have been more stark, though Ange Postecoglou will take solace from the fact that his system has lifted the London club from the rubble of the 2022/23 campaign.
Spurs finished eighth last year, missing out on European football resultingly and confirming Harry Kane's expected sale, with the club record scorer now plying his trade in Germany with Bayern Munich.
A new talisman is still needed, and Daniel Levy might have received an exciting boost in the race for a Premier League star.
Spurs' summer transfer targets
According to a recent report from The Sun, Tottenham have indeed been handed some pleasing news in their pursuit of a centre-forward, with Arsenal cooling their interest in Brentford's Ivan Toney.
Spurs, Chelsea and West Ham United are both keen on signing the England international but Postecoglou's fifth-placed side are in the best position to clinch Champions League football and will hope that this sways the odds.
Brentford are resigned to Toney's departure this summer but are hoping to entertain bids between £80m and £100m, and while this is a staggering fee, Tottenham would secure a first-rate star to lead from the front next season, taking the squad's calibre to the next level.
Why Spurs are interested in Ivan Toney
Toney has always been candid about his desire to leave Brentford and join a club competing in the Champions League; some might say disrespectfully so, but at 28 years old it's clear that the marksman is desperate to progress his career.
And it's hard to argue against his prolificness, having returned from an eight-month suspension in January for breaching FA betting rules and bagged four goals from his opening five Premier League matches, albeit riding a five-match barren streak at present.
As per Sofascore, he has complemented that goalscoring return with 0.8 key passes, 1.2 tackles, 3.5 ball recoveries and 7.7 successful duels per match, highlighting his combative nature and willingness to get stuck in and contribute outside his primary role of goalscorer.
He also ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for interceptions, the top 10% for clearances and the top 16% for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref, showcasing his defensive workrate.
Toney might have spent much of the current campaign suspended but he has proven himself and then some across recent years, with his exploits last season simply mesmerising, plundering 20 goals and four assists from just 33 Premier League fixtures, leading writer Billy Grant to describe him as a "monster."
1.
Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspur
14
2.
Ivan Toney
Brentford
12
3.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
11
3.
Darwin Nunez
Liverpool
11
5.
Danny Welbeck
Brighton & Hove Albion
8
To emphasise his dynamism and multi-functionality as the attacking focal point, Kane was the only centre-forward to create more big chances in the Premier League last season, with Toney's Three Lions' teammate Declan Rice actually remarking that he is "like Harry Kane" in his rounded approach to his attacking play.
Sure, Richarlison has been in fine form this season, scoring nine goals from ten top-flight fixtures before injuring his knee last month, and yes, Heung-min Son is one of the finest finishers in the Premier League, but that natural, out-and-out striker is a role in need of filling, especially with European competition on the cards once again.
Son's a bit of a sensation wherever he is unleashed, but given his playmaking quality and intelligence in guiding Spurs' offensive sequences, the skipper would relish a player such as Toney joining the fold.
Imagine Ivan Toney & Heung-min Son
After Kane left for a new chapter in August, Son was promoted to club captain, with declining veteran Hugo Lloris stepping away from his role as he left the starting lineup, and the South Korean star has repaid the faith with some monstrous efforts, scoring 14 goals and supplying eight assists in the Premier League.
As per FBref, the 31-year-old ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 14% for assists per 90 and the top 11% for pass completion, highlighting his top-class technicality and a deadliness in the final third that has left Postecoglou marvelling at his "world-class player."
Son alongside Toney would simply be a match made for success in the Premier League, with both players energetic and tenacious and eager to score goals and supply them.
Kane and Son are regarded for having one of the Premier League's most frightening modern partnerships and indeed hold the record for the most goal contributions in the modern division's history with 47 – some 11 contributions ahead of second-placed Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Given Toney's versatility in his attacking play and likeness to Kane, Spurs would only take their fluency and fear factor to another height entirely.
Moreover, Postecoglou's tactical set-up is hardly averse to attacking football, with the free-flowing, interchangeable system breeding success from an offensive standpoint, with Son joined by the likes of Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson in thriving in this regard.
Toney might be playing for a Brentford side that teeters precipitously above the dotted line, helped by points deductions to Everton and Nottingham Forest, but he's returned with a bang in 2024 and has demonstrated the brilliance that should prompt Tottenham to make their move.
With the £20k-per-week phenomenon leading the line under Postecoglou next term, the Lilywhites might just find the illustrious success they so dearly crave, especially with Son working seamlessly alongside him.