Harry Kane ranks among Tottenham Hotspur's greatest ever players. For years, his outstanding goalscoring and playmaking abilities masked mediocrity, which came to light in the wake of his departure.
Replacing the all-time record goalscorer was an impossible task. Initially, the club opted against signing a like-for-like replacement entirely, trusting Son Heung-min, Kane's partner in crime, to perform a centre-forward function for new manager Ange Postecoglou.
He did so rather well, but his decline became apparent in Ange's glorious second year. By then, the club had splashed a then-record £65m fee on Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke. The delay between Kane's exit and Solanke's arrival somewhat eased the pressure on the new addition, even if they'll always be viewed through a harsh Kane-shaped prism.
And while Solanke has been relatively hit-and-miss in north London, with his flakiness coming to the fore in crunch time last season, it could've been a whole lot worse for the Lilywhites.
Former Spurs target Gift Orban has plunged outside of Europe's premier divisions
It was during the summer of 2023, even before Kane agreed to join Bayern Munich, that rumours linking Gift Orban with a move to Spurs were rampant.
Orban, then 21, was coming off a prolific campaign in Belgium with Gent. While few supporters had any serious knowledge of the Nigerian striker, many were taken aback by his highlight reel. The ferocity with which he struck the ball stood out, and it looked like Orban boasted the potential to emerge as one of Europe's leading centre-forwards in short order.
Anyway, a transfer to Spurs never came to fruition, with reports suggesting at the time that Gent were demanding a monstrous €50m fee. The lofty price tag was somewhat understandable, especially knowing that Spurs were in desperate need of a long-term Kane successor.
So, he remained in Belgium for another six months before Lyon snapped him up in a deal that could've reached €20m. There, Orban scored five times in 21 appearances.
Yeni bir ülke. Yeni bir meydan okuma. Yeni bir başlangıç. 🇹🇷
— Gift Orban (@GiftOrban_) July 28, 2026
Amedspor’a katılmaktan büyük onur duyuyorum. Bu yolculuk boyunca bana destek olan herkese teşekkür ederim. Bu kulüp, bu arma ve bu muhteşem taraftarlar için elimden gelenin en iyisini vermeye hazırım💚❤️ https://t.co/cRP4ZoiJAc
The Nigerian striker then joined Hoffenheim for €12m ahead of the 2024/25 season and spent last season on loan at Hellas Verona. His latest move has taken him to Türkiye, more specifically Amedspor, who have been promoted to the Süper Lig for the first time in their history.
Now, I don't want to undermine Amedspor's rise or discredit Turkish football in general, but Orban's swift valuation depreciation and latest move point to unfulfilled potential, even at 24. Some have suggested the striker has an attitude/disciplinary issue, explaining his demise.
There were reports of training-ground misconduct at Lyon, and last year in Verona, Orban was involved in a physical altercation with a fan in the stadium car park, later issuing a full apology.
In truth, why Orban has plunged instead of blossomed over the past three years is impossible to accurately ascertain. Perhaps he was just never as good as those two-minute Gent compilations suggested.
Add us as a preferred source on Google