Tottenham Hotspur have had little to look forward to in recent years, but the promise of a new manager seeks to change that.
The only worry that remains is that Daniel Levy will be the man heading that search, especially after the resignation of his director of football Fabio Paratici, who lost his appeal and has subsequently had his ban upheld.
This is just one moment in a long line of embarrassing examples for the Lilywhites, who have stalled following years of impressive progression under Mauricio Pochettino.
Antonio Conte failed miserably in his search for silverware in north London, just years after Jose Mourinho had suffered a similar fate. Whoever is chosen as the next to grace their dugout must be fully aware of the tough task that awaits and the tumultuous atmosphere within.
Whilst Cristian Stellini sees out the season before his likely departure too, Levy has some time to start deciding which direction to take Spurs. One thing is for certain: the 61-year-old will want to give his new boss the strongest possible starting lineup with which to tempt a top coach in and keep the top assets around.
Whilst transfers might not be his particular strong suit, he can be safe in the knowledge that at the very least Destiny Udogie will be returning this summer fresh from a fine loan in Italy. Arguably, given their struggles at left wing-back and the veritable strength of the opposite flank, this could prove to be huge for the future and the present of this side.
Who is Destiny Udogie?
Having signed for £15m last summer, Conte saw fit to ship the 20-year-old out on loan to Udinese, safe in the knowledge that Ivan Perisic would fulfil the role until his development had finished.
However, few would have predicted just how defensively culpable the experienced Croatian would be. Brought in with a packed-out trophy cabinet and experience at the top level, his seven league assists perhaps mask the positional deficiencies of the 34-year-old.
Just 1.2 tackles and 1.1 clearance per game marks a disappointing return for someone who has been ever-present in a system that focuses on sitting deep, with football writer Andrew Gaffney even claiming the £180k-per-week man was a "complete liability at the back".
Meanwhile, Udogie too has enjoyed a fine offensive campaign but married it with far more solidity – six goal contributions give way to his 2.3 tackles per game, making him far more well-rounded given the uncertainty of the philosophy the new boss might employ.
Journalist Pete O'Rourke has spoken to Football FanCast about the potential of the Italy U21 international, and what Spurs fans have to look forward to upon his return.
He claimed:
"It has been an area that Tottenham have been looking to improve in for a while now and this hopefully will see Udogie being as the answer to those left-wing back issues going forward.
"As I said, he's a very exciting player and somebody that Spurs fans will be looking forward to seeing next season."
With a sparkling future ahead, Udogie's return will surely mark the end of the ageing wide man who has struggled to live up to the immense expectations his name demanded.
