Tottenham Hotspur are entering the end game, two points clear of 18th-place West Ham United in this unaccustomed relegation battle.
Had the Lilywhites decided to persist with Igor Tudor until the end of the season, it's unlikely that they would have enjoyed the sharp upswing in form that has been carried out under the management of Roberto De Zerbi over the past several weeks.
Long gone are the days of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son and Dele Alli and the rest of them, challenging for Champions League titles and drawing plaudits for their incredible football at the top end of the Premier League.
Tottenham need a new talisman to emerge, and while he's not yet kicked a ball for the club in a competitive match, Luka Vuskovic might just be the man for the job.
Vuskovic is Spurs' future superstar
Vuskovic is only 19, yet he's already establishing himself as one of the most talented defenders in the world. He's Tottenham's, but he's out on loan in Hamburg. Next year, he will be central to the outfit's plans.
This is one of the most exciting centre-backs in the world, a player who could rival the best in the business down the line. Tottenham cannot afford to fall into the Championship.
The obvious, wider reasons aside, Vuskovic would not brook a role in a second tier side after several seasons of development in Belgium and Germany.
Described as a "monster in the making" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vuskovic makes any number of clearances each game, and he is a surging spear in the air, but he also has a rare ability to score goals: with five from 26 Bundesliga appearances this term, he's the top scoring centre-back in any of Europe's top five leagues.
He's the real deal all right, but Vuskovic isn't the only budding superstar who could make a world of difference down N17 next year, with the new Kane also set to return from his loan spell.
Spurs must soon unleash the new Harry Kane
Forwards of Kane's ability only come around once in a blue moon, but in Mikey Moore, Tottenham might actually have their new version of the club legend on the books.
Moore, 18, is currently out on loan in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, where he has gone from strength to strength across the course of the campaign.
Rangers have ebbed and flowed, and while the first few months were tough for the young talent, he is now making headway, a regular inclusion in the starting line-up and scorer of six goals since the turn of the calendar year.
A few days ago, he was crowned the PFA Scotland Men's Young Player of the Year, and as he prepares to return to north London, Moore could find himself emulating Kane before him, with the Three Lions captain completing a series of loan moves before going on to become a global superstar at the front of Mauricio Pochettino's system.
Likened by James Maddison for looking "like Neymar on the left wing", the prolific youth player is steadily making his way to the top. He featured under Ange last season, scoring in the Europa League and claiming a winners' medal. Now, he's benefited immensely from a more prominent role in Scotland.
The signs are there. On top of his direct outfit, Moore has created seven big chances across only 22 starts in the league this season, winning 3.2 duels and completing 1.5 tackles per game.
While Vuskovic has more hype around his name, his teenage peer may yet develop into a "superstar in the future", according to former Spurs star Gary Mabbutt.
Could he mimic Kane in growing into a star member of De Zerbi's Spurs side? Perhaps so. The fact that talents like Vuskovic and Moore are waiting in the wings emphasises that the future is bright down N17.