Believe it or not, it’s only six months since a Tottenham Hotspur side coached by Nuno Espirito Santo defeated Manchester City with Dele Alli running the game from central midfield.
Considering how much has changed in North London since then, you’d be forgiven for thinking that most hard-fought of 1-0 wins happened six years ago, rather than six months ago.
Japhet Tanganga was a deserving recipient of the Man of the Match award that day, shackling not only Raheem Sterling but also Pep Guardiola’s new £100 million plaything.
At the time, it felt like a highly promising beginning for a brand new era. Not just for Tanganga, but for Spurs as a whole.
“He handled Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish brilliantly,” Gary Neville gushed on Sky Sports.
“I couldn’t have done that on my own 20 years ago. And I was a good full-back, played for Manchester United, played for England!
“But what that kid did out there today was really special from a one-on-one defending point of view.
“He did something out on that pitch that I thought was really special. And that’s why he won Man of the Match.”
Will Spurs really swap Japhet Tanganga for Adama Traore?
There’s an argument to be made that Tanganga hasn’t played that well in a Tottenham shirt before or since.
Losing Antonio Rudiger for Chelsea’s winner in the EFL Cup semi-final second-leg on Wednesday night, the England U21 international has now made crucial mistakes in each of his last three Spurs appearances.
But there’s a player in there somewhere, begging to break free.
Tottenham should remember that as they consider using the 22-year-old academy graduate as a makeweight in a deal that would see Adama Traore swap Wolverhampton Wanderers for North London.
According to TEAMtalk, Spurs are also willing to part with Joe Rodon, Ryan Sessegnon and £9 million forgotten man Jack Clarke as they look to drive down Traore’s price-tag.
Of that quartet, there is one name that leaps off the page as far as Wolves fans are concerned.
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