Tottenham Hotspur dropped points at Goodison Park after succumbing to late pressure and failing to deal with a corner in injury time, allowing Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite to bundle home.
Still, Spurs are fifth in the Premier League after 23 matches and are fighting hard to secure a spot in the top four come the end of the campaign, having overcome many obstacles under the tutelage of Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian, appointed in the summer after an abject 2022/23 season yielded an eighth-place finish, has overseen some exciting business on the transfer front while stamping his vision into the squad, spreading fresh faces across the respective areas of the pitch to set up the framework for future success.
Last month, Spurs enjoyed a tremendous transfer window and welcomed Radu Dragusin to strengthen the backline, completed the loan signing of forward Timo Werner and rounded off business with a flourish after hijacking Barcelona's move for teenage sensation Lucas Bergvall, who will move to London in the summer.
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Bergvall, aged 17, has been described as a "generational" talent by one analyst and could be the centrepiece of Postecoglou's system in the years to come, but not yet.
As such, Tottenham fought to sign Chelsea's Conor Gallagher but ultimately failed to convince the Blues to part with the England international.
Spurs' pursuit of Conor Gallagher
Last summer, Postecoglou had to contend with the departure of Harry Kane, who had had enough after years of prolific service and no silverware to show for it.
Chairman Daniel Levy granted a big outlay to rejuvenate the squad and in the dying embers of the window, a formal £40m offer was lodged to take Gallagher away from Stamford Bridge, but Mauricio Pochettino viewed the 23-year-old as a big part of his plans and the approach was rebuffed.
Returning with fresh interest in January, Tottenham were interested in securing Gallagher's services and had even prepared a late bid, though Chelsea's raised £80m valuation did enough to dissuade Levy and co from placing an official offer.
As per FBref, Gallagher ranks among the top 17% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 10% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 19% for tackles and the top 3% for blocks per 90.
While Chelsea have been dismal once again this term, the £50k-per-week ace has been one of the standout performers, supplying five assists across 22 Premier League fixtures, completing 91% of his passes and averaging 1.3 key passes, 2.5 tackles, 6.5 ball recoveries and 5.6 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
While Tottenham have numerous options in the centre of the park, Gallagher's protean ability makes him a perfect fit in Postecoglou's system, with dynamism and energy in abundance.
1.
Rodrigo Bentancur
Tottenham Hotspur
2.
Lucas Paqueta
West Ham United
3.
Boubacar Kamara
Aston Villa
4.
Tomas Soucek
West Ham United
5.
Joao Palhinha
Fulham
Source: Football Transfers
Given that he is adjudged to play like Tottenham star Rodrigo Bentancur and has qualities similar to both Lucas Paqueta and Joao Palhinha – two very different midfielders – Gallagher's multi-functionality is only illuminated and there's every chance that the Lilywhites return once again this summer.
In the interim, Tottenham will make do with the existing options, but with Bentancur still finding his feet after spending the majority of 2023 in the medical room, perhaps Postecoglou should take a punt on one of the club's many exciting youth prospects, with Rio Kyerematen boasting talents that make him a factory-built fit for the senior set-up's engine room.
Rio Kyerematen's youth statistics
Signing his first professional contract with Tottenham in 2022, Kyerematen has been making waves within the formative fold and his incremental growth by season speaks of his faculty for learning and absorbing the words of wisdom handed to help him improve his craft.
A natural distributor with bundles of energy and a combative stance on his defensive duties, Kyerematen is blooming into a rounded player and this not only draws parallels to Gallagher but sets the youngster in good stead to earn a senior opportunity under Postecoglou's wing.
Tottenham Hotspur U18
44
12
11
Tottenham Hotspur U21
13
1
0
Source: Transfermarkt
This season, the 18-year-old is starting to wedge his way into the U21 squad, making 12 appearances and scoring in a 5-0 rout over Manchester City U21s on his seasonal debut.
Granted a chance to prosper at U21 level after a talismanic 2022/23 campaign with the U18s, posting five goals and seven assists from just 17 matches in all competitions, Kyerematen will now feel that he is approaching a state of readiness ahead of a professional debut.
Described as a "big talent" by Tottenham podcaster Chris Miller, the teenager will be hoping to continue his journey and contribute toward the fight for top four; with Gallagher not signed and Bergvall still plying his trade with Djurgårdens IF until the summer, a string of stellar performances to arrest Postecoglou's attention could put him in the driving seat to take the leap.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg remains in north London after rejecting offers throughout January, but the Dane still remains on the periphery and is only provided a starting berth when his manager has little alternative.
Moreover, Yves Bissouma, talented as he may be, has proved himself unreliable on the disciplinary front, while the aforementioned Bentancur's match action may need regulating to ensure an occurrence of his past issues do not surface.
Kyerematen is young but he's versatile, a goalscorer and could be the perfect, underrated option to give Tottenham the extra Gallagher-like dimension needed to secure success this season.