There was to be no third season or third act for Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, with the Aussie coach having been ruthlessly dismissed following the club's Europa League triumph in Bilbao.
That shift was a factor in Spurs' dismal 17th-place finish, although, regardless, the experienced coach had nowhere to hide after a season in which he'd overseen a staggering 22 top-flight defeats.
Whether replacing the 60-year-old was the right call or not remains up for debate, although it's fair to say the Lilywhites have sunk even lower in his absence, ensuring they are heading for yet another crucial crossroads this summer.
The future of Igor Tudor is of course the more immediate and pressing issue, but in the long-term, ENIC need to get it right with regard to Thomas Frank's long-term successor.
It feels a matter of when and not if Tudor will be replaced at N17, even if it has all gone a little quiet on that front in recent days, with there understandably no rush for a decision to be made, not least with the Croatian's father having sadly passed away at the weekend.
Respect needs to be shown to the 47-year-old in the wake of such awful news, although the mutterings are that talk is going on behind the scenes regarding the end of his interim tenure and the naming of a successor.
There has been suggestion that free agent Roberto De Zerbi is ready to take the reins in the immediate future, although contrary reports have also indicated that the Italian would rather wait until the end of the season before making the move.
Indeed, there does appear to be a growing list of candidates in the frame heading into this summer, with a new name having been mentioned in the form of Galatasaray boss, Okan Buruk.
As per Italian outlet TuttomercatoWEB, the 52-year-old is on Spurs' summer shortlist - alongside De Zerbi and Marco Silva - with his contract set to expire with the Istanbul giants in June.
The north Londoners aren't alone in their admiration for him, however, with Serie A side Lazio also in the frame, alongside Saudi Pro League outfit, Al-Ittihad.
Why Buruk could be another Postecoglou at Spurs
There's no denying that Spurs have tried it all with regard to recent managerial appointments, going down the Premier League proven route with regard to Frank and Nuno Espirito Santo, as well as bringing in serial winners in the form of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.
For all his flaws, however, it was Postecoglou who ended the club's lengthy trophy drought, having also overseen an encouraging first season that ended with a respectable fifth-place finish - a solid achievement considering the Tottenham hierarchy didn't actually sign a direct replacement for Harry Kane that summer.
Postecoglou may also have been aware that he was hardly the club's first choice, with then-Feyenoord boss Arne Slot having been the leading candidate at one stage, while the likes of Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Ruben Amorim were all in the equation.
He managed to secure silverware regardless, with Spurs' gamble on a man with no prior Premier League experience having paid off to some degree.
In many ways, the hiring of Buruk could be something of a repeat scenario, with the Turkish tactician likely to be another wildcard appointment, having never managed outside of his homeland since beginning his coaching career back in 2013.
In Postecoglou's case, the well-travelled coach had won league titles in Australia, Japan and Scotland, breeding a winning mentality that ultimately was replicated in north London.
Buruk - who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 set-up - has also had that winning feeling during his time in Turkey thus far, winning three league titles with Galatasaray, while looking on course to make it four-in-a-row this time around.
Perhaps more impressively, however, was his achievement of leading Istanbul Basaksehir to the Super Lig title in 2019/20, the first time the club had ever been crowned champions.
He might not be the glamour name of De Zerbi or even Mauricio Pochettino, with the pair likely to be ahead of him on ENIC's shortlist, although like Postecoglou, Buruk has proven he is a winning manager, and one who typically favours a high-press, high-energy approach from his teams.
There is a relentless quality to his tactical set-up, one which Spurs have seen first-hand, with Gala putting on a rampant display in their 3-2 win over Postecoglou's side in the Europa League last season.
He may not be the obvious, popular choice, just as Postecoglou was not, yet Buruk certainly shouldn't be overlooked this summer.