Ange Postecoglou said something curious before Mr Marinakis dismissed him from his short-lived Nottingham Forest post. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss ruefully spoke of Harry Kane, and how he wished to have enjoyed the England captain's services for at least one year.
Kane left for Bayern Munich in 2023, ending his Spurs career just months after writing his name into the history books as the club's all-time record scorer.
Over two years later, it would take a bold argument to claim that the Londoners have effectively replaced their former talisman, with Dominic Solanke plagued by injuries since arriving in 2024 and Richarlison, injury-prone himself, too inconsistent in front of goal.
Richarlison's season in numbers
Thomas Frank is implementing a new playing style at Tottenham, and it's been a solid start for the former Brentford boss, with his Spurs side trailing second-place Manchester City by just two points in the Premier League.
However, his declaration at the start of the campaign that Richarlison would be his starting number nine didn't stay true for that long, with the Brazilian having started from the bench on each of Tottenham's past two league matches.
He might have scored a brace on the opening day of the term, against Burnley, but the 28-year-old has since netted just once across 11 matches in all competitions, with the ever-outspoken Gabby Agbonlahor claiming Spurs have a problem in the dynamic forward, who will enjoy a purple patch and then "give absolutely zero" across the next several weeks.
We know there has been recent curiosity from the Saudi Pro League regarding Richarlison's signature, and Everton were linked with their old forward this summer too.
He's never quite lived up to the price tag at Tottenham, and it would hardly come as a shock if he were sold in 2026. For a big price tag and proven success beforehand, it's not unreasonable that the club might have hoped for more at this stage, and it may even be that the new version has been signed this summer.
Spurs' new version of Richarlison
Tottenham showed their ambition this summer, and the £51m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig was the showpiece signing.
The 22-year-old had been chased by Chelsea all summer, but Spurs prevailed in August and landed the "superstar" of a talent, which was exactly what journalist Graeme Bailey confirmed the north London bosses felt they had secured.
So far, we haven't seen that world-class talent, with Simons having assisted one goal and gone without a strike for himself across eight appearances in all competitions.
Bundles of talent, a hefty price tag and concerns about consistency - might Simons be the next version of Richarlison?
When plying his trade for PSV Eindhoven, for example, the Dutchman enjoyed an exceptional performance against Arsenal in the Europa League, and so clearly has the skillset to thrive against the Premier League's finest.
And, moreover, he shares with Richarlison a willingness to get stuck in and contribute defensively. His physicality could do with some work, sure, but the 5 foot 6 talent has the right profile.
However, he's yet to showcase his prolific quality under Frank's wing, and if a certain patchiness on the output front becomes a marker of Simons' time at Spurs, he could very much end up leaving with a reputation similar to that of Richarlison: talented and tenacious, but lacking consistency.
Having arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a big fee and with a weight of expectation, there are parallels between Tottenham's signing of Simons and that former deal for Richarlison.
There is, of course, plenty of time for Simons to get himself up to speed, but with injured pair James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski waiting in the wings, there's little question that he needs to start proving his worth and helping steer Tottenham toward success at the start of this new chapter.