Aston Villa were wallowing deep in the Championship at the end of the season when Tottenham finished as Premier League runners-up with 86 points.
That was back in 2017, the high watermark of the Mauricio Pochettino era at Spurs, with a glitzy new stadium under construction and a fizz of excitement about the potential of the young team spearheaded by Harry Kane, the best striker in the country.
Kane’s quality endures and the stadium is every bit as splendid as anticipated but the rest has fallen flat as Daniel Levy casts around for his next manager, ignoring the romance of a Pochettino return and clearing the way for him to join London rivals Chelsea.