Tottenham Hotspur did more than just end their interminable trophy drought when defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final last season; Ange Postecoglou opened up a road to the Champions League.
Given that Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League, this was quite the saving grace at the end of a campaign that left so much to be desired, and it ensured the Londoners could make a compelling case to potential signings like Xavi Simons.
While Tottenham supporters were overjoyed when signing the Dutch playmaker from RB Leipzig for £51m, after intense interest from Chelsea earlier in the summer, there's no denying that the 21-year-old has yet to perform on English shores.
Given his big-money profile and the expectation upon his arrival, there's a concern that Simons is echoing the likes of Tanguy Ndombele before him.
Simons' start to life at Spurs
Thomas Frank hasn't yet established his vision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with his side struggling for form in the final third. Simons has been a part of the problem, but it's important to remember this is a young talent who has entered a team lacking offensive coherence.
In just two years in Germany, Simons scored 22 goals and supplied 24 assists across 78 matches. He was the difference-maker, and many Premier League clubs were keen.
Spurs won the race, and credit to them, but Simons has yet to prove he has what it takes to raise his game to the next level, thus prompting concerns that he might mimic Frenchman Ndombele, who became the Londoners' club-record signing when joining from Lyon in a £54m deal in 2019.
Ndombele's temperament and commitment were among the cruxes of his demise in English football, and Simons cannot be blamed for a lack of effort, but it's a concern all the same, and one Frank will need to rectify quickly to get his side operating at full creative capacity.
The jury is still out for the Netherlands international, who is young and talented and settling into an outfit that lacks creative direction right now.
There's actually another Lilywhites man with far more experience who might be deteriorating into Ndombele 2.0.
Spurs' new version of Ndombele
Frank has spoken of his players' frustrations following their recent run of form, and this was clear to see last weekend when Fulham condemned Tottenham to yet another home defeat.
Pedro Porro was incensed, but the Portugal international might want to direct that anger inwards, given his spate of shambolic displays this year.
The 26-year-old has been in the English capital for almost three years now, and while he is among the most technically gifted players in the ranks, his awareness and accuracy in defensive phases could see him become a disappointment in a similar way to Ndombele, especially when considering he had such a furore about his signature in 2023 that Manchester City came sniffing around last year.
Porro is rudderless. Sofascore record that he has made five errors already in the Premier League this season, and he is among the most dribbled-past defenders in the division thus far.
In fairness, Porro sits among the top 16% of Premier League full-backs this season for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, but his defensive work has been well below the desired standard.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
But his lack of focus and misuse of his own athleticism led one Tottenham podcast host to brand him "an absolute liability" last season, and that's only been underscored since then, with Frank now facing his own Ndombele-like conundrum in working out what to do with this talented but toiling star.
Porro has enjoyed some high points across his Tottenham career, but he's been culpable for too many poor performances over the past couple of years, and in this, it is he and not the young Simons who is shaping into the London side's new version of Ndombele.