Tottenham Hotspur have produced an imperfect start to the 2024/25 campaign, to be sure, but one of promise and excitement nonetheless.
When Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring in the Premier League on Saturday noon, a collective thought hatched down N17 that Spurs' imperfect start was to shrink and then swell into something more damning, but this setback proved to ignite the fire in Ange Postecoglou's squad, who swept West Ham United aside, winning 4-1.
It's important to remember that Tottenham are a young team, still young as a collective, carrying plenty of nascent quality through a wealth of teenage prospects.
The pick of the bunch? It's got to be Mikey Moore. Still only 17, the winger has already nestled his name into the first team, earned some minutes, and made an impression.
Mikey Moore's sky-high potential
It was obvious from the very beginning: Tottenham had themselves a first-class prospect. Moore has been at the club since joining the U9s, and is now starting to step into acclaim as a prodigious first-team talent.
Moore signed his first professional deal back in August after turning 17, penning a three-year contract that will see him ascend through the opening years of his senior career and seek to wedge his way into a prominent role under Postecoglou.
Hailed as a "superstar" talent by journalist Fabrizio Romano, the talented young Lilywhite scored 16 goals and supplied nine assists across 14 matches for Tottenham's youth side last season, earning two Premier League cameos toward the back end of the term as a reward for his meteoric rise.
So far so good on the senior stage, with football.london handing the talent an 8/10 match rating after his bustling display against Ferencvaros in the Europa League, winning six duels and attempting seven dribbles, as per Sofascore.
The sky's the limit for this one, whose progress has also seen him earn three recent substitute appearances in the Premier League, notably playing around 15 minutes as Spurs ran roughshod over Manchester United's confidence, winning 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Tottenham, for sure, have much growth to complete over the coming years, but with Moore spearheading a youthful revolution, fans can get excited about the direction the outfit is headed.
While there's a superabundance of promise down N17, Tottenham might find that they've already lost their original version of the teenager.
Spurs wasted their original Mikey Moore
There must be a bittersweet feeling among the Spurs faithful as Troy Parrott finds his feet with AZ Alkmaar, having signed for the Dutch Eredivisie team in a deal worth around £7m this summer.
The 22-year-old has been unable to establish himself in north London and indeed failed to spark the right impact across a range of loan spells in England.
He did, however, impress in Holland for Excelsior Rotterdam last season, thus prompting AZ to spend a large sum on bringing him to the club. Their venture has been duly rewarded, so far.
Praised for his "phenomenal" work rate by former Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe, and this has been showcased through his early-season efforts in the Netherlands, averaging 3.1 shots and 30 touches per Eredivisie game, as per Sofascore, highlighting the energy that he brings to the table.
Parrott rose to prominence back in September when AZ near decimated Heerenveen in a 9-1 win, scoring four goals but also providing four key passes for his teammates in what highlighted his wonderful range of qualities as a forward, something that could have been perfect as a back-up, up-and-coming option in Postecogolou's Spurs squad.
In August Spurs might have signed Dominic Solanke in a club-record deal worth £65m, but the hole left by Harry Kane can only be patched up in the aggregate, and Parrott's pace and energy would have counterbalanced nicely against the former Bournemouth talisman's striking approach.
Injuries affected Parrott's development over the duration of his fledgling Spurs career but he's finally starting to prove his worth in the Netherlands and, should he sustain his fitness levels, will be sure to forge a successful career for himself.
The Republic of Ireland international, who has scored five times across 25 caps for his country, could have been the striker that Tottenham craved, the natural successor to Kane's position in the team.
He was the original version of Moore, the jewel of Tottenham's academy.
All the best to him, but it doesn't look like he's going to hit the same level that Moore could, and perhaps that is just a testament to the significant strides that have been taken at youth level by Tottenham over recent years.