Tottenham Hotspur have made their best start to a Premier League campaign under Ange Postecoglou's management this season – ever. And with this youthful squad displaying every bit the calibre and confidence of title challengers, the mood has not been so high in a long time.
The club have not had much to cheer about over the past several years, with the golden period of Mauricio Pochettino's management failing to unearth silverware and the days since bringing only instability and pathos.
There have been some cracking moments, sure, with Harry Kane's prolific exploits taking him to record status both as Tottenham's goalscorer and his nation's.
But ever since the Champions League final in 2019, which bitterly resulted in Liverpool's victory, Spurs have failed to create enough success, having now qualified for Europe's elite club competition once across four campaigns after four successive top-four finishes.
All that looks set to change now though, with Postecoglou cultivating a winning, confident mentality, harnessing the singular qualities of his squad and melding them into something unified and complete – a confluence of style, like raindrops meandering down a pane.
To do so, however, the Australian has utilised a sense of ruthlessness, which is necessary, in a pragmatic sense, for a manager seeking illustrious success for his team, ridding his side of the debris.
One such piece of flotsam is Davinson Sanchez, who once arrived as Tottenham's club-record acquisition, young and exciting and talented and robust, but he has failed to live up to his potential and cost the club a pretty penny in the process.
How much did Tottenham spend on Davinson Sanchez?
In the summer of 2017, Tottenham were flowing and had just finished second in the Premier League with 86 points, having completed the 2016/17 campaign with the division's meanest defence (shipping 26 goals).
Countrymen Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen had formed an "exceptional" defensive axis in front of Hugo Lloris' goal, according to ex-Lilywhite Alton Thelwell, who praised Alderweireld for his "tenacious" efforts and Vertonghen for his "Rolls-Royce" defending.
It was another year without silverware – something that last came to the club in 2008 – but an emphatic campaign nonetheless, and sustained development as a unit; Sanchez was signed that summer, 21 years old and willing to absorb the craft of his established peers.
The Colombian centre-half joined from Eredivisie giants Ajax for a club-record £42m, eclipsing the £30m paid for Moussa Sissoko the year before.
Chairman Daniel Levy clearly had a vision, but as would soon become clear, Sanchez did not have the desired effect and certainly did not maintain the defensive might over many years.
Why did Tottenham sign Davinson Sanchez?
Sanchez had the world at his feet and had repaid the faith entrusted by Ajax's esteemed recruitment model by winning the Dutch side's Player of the Year award ahead of teammates such as Frenkie De Jong and Hakim Ziyech.
He had demonstrated his vast array of skills, scoring six league goals from 32 outings, keeping 12 clean sheets, completing 87% of his passes, averaging 1.9 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 5.2 clearances per game and winning 60% of his aerial battles.
With Alderweireld and Vertonghen still perched in their prime, it was the apt moment for Sanchez to make the move and test his mettle in the Premier League, and while he played 43 times during that maiden term, starting 29 times in the Premier League, he has arguably failed to live up to those performances since.
What was Davinson Sanchez`s salary at Tottenham?
Sanchez boasted a salary of £65k-per-week while with the Lilywhites, and while this was not the most lucrative of salaries at the club, it was still a steady strain on the outfit's finances, offering little value on the pitch in return over the past few years.
When combining this, across the six years he spent at the club, with his lofty transfer fee, it's discernible that Sanchez cost Tottenham £62m, which, frankly, does not constitute value for money with all things considered.
In September, Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray secured the 56-cap titan's signature for around €15m (£13m), which does mean that Spurs have recuperated a portion of the initial fee at least, however such a paltry sum epitomises the sheer regret of his time at Tottenham.
What happened to Davinson Sanchez?
Last season, Sanchez hit his nadir, starting only eight matches all season in the English top-flight, making 1.3 tackles, 2.3 clearances and committing a foul for a penalty.
His efforts were so substandard over recent years that he even led Jamie O'Hara to brand him "one of the worst players" he had seen in Spurs' backline, and the very fact that he failed to earn a spot in such a dismal defence last season says it all regarding his reliability.
Given that he also ranks outside the top 40% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, interceptions and clearances per 90, as per FBref, he hardly seems to boast that past zest.
And when factoring in Tottenham's defensive woes over the past year, it's inexcusable that he hasn't contributed more effectively – Cristian Romero ranks among the top 5% for tackles and the top 14% for interceptions per 90, for example.
Season
Market Value
23/24
£11m
22/23
£24m
21/22
£31m
20/21
£29m
19/20
£35m
18/19
£40m
17/18
£26m
Clearly, aged just 27, Sanchez has vastly underperformed to see such a startling depreciation to his market value, having arrived in London to much fanfare.
Having now joined Galatasaray, he is presented with the opportunity to rekindle his career and prove his worth, but based on the evidence over the past several years, he is not up to scratch for a role within a squad challenging for a spot at the very forefront of the game.
Spurs supporters might recall some fond memories of a player who was once described as "fantastic" by goalkeeper Andre Onana, but he flattered to deceive all too often and it is beneficial to the team that he has now moved on.
Having also been likened to "deadwood" by O'Hara, Sanchez really was thrown out to sea; Postecoglou was not convinced and Levy enforced his sale – a poignant conclusion to a once-promising career in London.