Tottenham Hotspur certainly wasn’t a happy place when Ange Postecoglou walked in the door over the summer, the club reeling off the back of a season that saw both Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini shown the door, as the Lilywhites meekly slipped to a lowly eighth-place finish – with supporters venting their anger at owner, Daniel Levy.

To make life even tougher for the former Celtic boss, he was also forced to deal with the departure of the club’s record goalscorer, Harry Kane, with the 30-year-old hoping to secure some long-awaited silverware by sealing a move to Bundesliga powerhouse, Bayern Munich.

While many might have expected Spurs to wilt without their talisman, they have in fact looked revitalised this season under the new Postecoglou regime, with it perhaps Kane who is looking back enviously amid possible frustrations in Germany – Thomas Tuchel’s side currently way off the pace in the title race.

In the Englishman’s absence, the north Londoners have been led superbly by skipper, Heung-min Son, the South Korean sensation netting 12 goals already this season in the Premier League, while even Richarlison has begun to get in on the act – scoring six goals in his last six top-flight outings.

Despite the Brazilian’s heroics, however, there may still be a desire at N17 to acquire a more natural successor to Kane through the middle, even after securing Timo Werner on an initial loan move earlier this month.

If Spurs are to strike a late move for a centre-forward they should well look to someone who has previously thrived under Postecoglou’s management…

Postecoglou could reunite with a familiar face at N17

Reports last summer suggested that the new Tottenham boss was keen to bring Kyogo Furuhashi with him from Parkhead, with The Sun claiming that the London side were eyeing a £30m move for the Japan international.

The same publication also outlined back in November that Postecoglou had sent club scouts to watch the 29-year-old in action in Glasgow, perhaps raising the possibility that a move could be on the agenda before the window closes.

Making the leap from the Scottish Premiership to England’s top flight would certainly not be straightforward, yet the ex-Vissel Kobe man’s likeness to one of James Maddison’s former colleagues – Jamie Vardy – should ensure that he is also able to terrorise Premier League defences.

How Kyogo compares to Vardy

Maddison – who joined Spurs from Leicester City on a £40m deal over the summer – struck up what he described as a “good relationship” with Vardy during their time at the King Power Stadium, hailing his experienced compatriot as a “world-class striker”.

That ‘good relationship’ saw Maddison regularly provide the goods for his teammate from a playmaking berth, teeing up the one-time Fleetwood Town man for 11 goals during their spell together, while also being the recipient of six assists himself from the Premier League winner.

Tottenham’s number ten was particularly complimentary of the veteran marksman’s “unbelievable” movement – something that Erling Haaland has taken inspiration from – with Vardy able to torment a defence by getting into the right place at the time.

That is a trait that Kyogo also shares, as Postecoglou himself admitted back in March that the Celtic man’s movement is the “best” that he has “ever seen”, with pundit John Collins describing him as a “midfielder’s dream” as he “doesn’t stand still”.

Collins also lauded Kyogo for the way he “hounds defences”, while ex-Rangers captain Barry Ferguson has described him as an “absolute pest” due to his relentless work ethic and pressing ability, praise that has also been dished out to Vardy – former Foxes coach Craig Shakespeare lauding him “a pest on the shoulder of defenders”.

Such similarities between the pair have also been noted by pundit Frank McAvennie, who suggested that Kyogo is “like a younger, faster Jamie Vardy”, with regard to the version of the Englishman that current Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers had at Leicester.

Not only a player then that Maddison could thrive working alongside, but the £30m man also has the benefit of his familiarity with Postecoglou, leading from the front so impressively over the last few years for the Old Firm side.

Kyogo’s record under Postecoglou at Celtic

The 21-cap Japan international was in fact the Greek-Aussie’s first signing following his surprise appointment at Celtic Park back in 2021, the diminutive striker joining for a fee of just £4.6m after spending all of his career prior to that in his homeland.

That capture proved a real masterstroke for the former Yokohama F.Marinos coach, with Kyogo scoring 54 goals and contributing ten assists in just 83 games under his management over the next two seasons, scoring at a rate of one goal every 99 minutes across all competitions.

The prolific talent was particularly impressive last season as the Premiership giants swept all before them domestically, netting 34 times in 50 games across all fronts, including 27 goals in 36 league outings.

Such form led to him signing a new deal in Glasgow over the summer despite interest from Spurs, although it would be no surprise if Postecoglou goes back in for the 5 foot 7 ace before the current window closes, amid the need to fill that Kane-sized void.

Yes, Richarlison has begun to his stride in Lilywhite, yet with Kyogo having proven how seamlessly he can fit into the 58-year-old’s set-up, it remains a no-brainer to at least give him the chance to prove himself in the Premier League before too long.

Having seen the impact that Vardy – who has 136 top-flight goals to his name to date – made in the competition, signing a possible clone in the form of the Celtic man would represent dream business for Maddison, Postecoglou and Spurs as a whole.