Tottenham’s love affair with their homegrown hero Harry Kane is waning, and a painful separation remains a possibility this summer, even if the England captain has now returned to training in north London.
Kane could even make an appearance in Thursday's Europa Conference League qualifier against Pacos de Ferreira of Portugal, though if he does it could still prove to be his last in a Spurs shirt.
In the event of a divorce, however, Tottenham know that they already have a star who can step into the 28-year-old’s role, both positionally on the pitch and as the iconic talisman who has the hearts of the fans.
Son Heung-min may not have come through the club’s academy and stood in the stands at White Hart Lane as a youngster, but the loyalty he has shown at the club’s lowest point in many years will mean as much to the supporters.
After a 2020-21 season in which Spurs finished seventh, and their shambolic search for a new manager ended with the club settling for Nuno Espirito Santo, it is understandable for Kane to feel he is better off elsewhere, especially at champions Manchester City.
But by contrast, at a time when the prospect of trophies and Champions League football has seemed as far away as ever for Tottenham, and the club’s best player has wanted to leave, Son has chosen to sign a new four-year contract.
That commitment is particularly notable given the trouble Kane is having extricating himself from his own six-year deal - a reminder that if you sign on the dotted line with Daniel Levy, you had better be prepared for what that means.
Son was already popular with Spurs fans, and is assured of a place in the club’s history after scoring the first Premier League goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while also playing a key role in the run to the 2019 Champions League final.
But his status and importance has been growing, particularly as Kane’s halo has faded.
Kane stole the headlines last season by becoming only the third player to both score the most goals and provide the most assists in the same Premier League season.
But, at the same time, Son had the most prolific campaign of his career, scoring 22 goals in all competitions, while also laying on 10 Premier League assists.
When combined with his pace and acceleration, Son's ability to shoot with either foot makes him deadly when facing a defender 1v1 in and around the box - as City centre-back Nathan Ake discovered on Sunday - and he has become a clinical finisher.
While most of his time at Spurs has been spent on the left flank, Son's attributes also make him a perfectly viable central striker.
He showed that throughout pre-season, scoring three goals and setting up another four, before illustrating it again with his winner against City at the weekend.
His prowess in the position goes back a lot further than that too. In his 55 starts when playing as a central striker for Spurs, he has registered 49 goals or assists.
This is not to suggest that Tottenham would be better off without Kane. After all, a special relationship has developed between him and Son, to the extent that last season the pair set a record for the most goal combinations in a Premier League season, assisting each other for 14 goals.
Meanwhile, if Kane leaves and Son moves infield, it would be a challenge for anyone to replicate the South Korea international's threat from the left flank.
Steven Bergwijn is yet to show consistency - partly because he has never been picked on a regular basis - while it would be unfair to expect Son-esque levels from new left-winger Bryan Gil, who is only 20 and playing in a new league.
Tottenham’s best front three clearly includes Kane, and he may well lead the line again this season. But Sunday’s match between Spurs and City was instructive for both sides, and could end up having a huge influence on the overall Kane situation.
For all of their possession, City were unable to score and lost 1-0 - much like against Leicester City in the Community Shield the previous weekend - so the obvious conclusion is that they need a striker. As such, they may now consider increasing their offer for Kane.
Meanwhile, Levy and Spurs’ hierarchy have now seen that they can beat the reigning champions without Kane and with Son as the striker, so they might just be inclined to consider a bigger bid should one be forthcoming.
Whatever happens, the vision of a possible future without Kane looks rosier for Tottenham this week than it has for most of the summer.
While Spurs fans sang, “Are you watching, Harry Kane?” on Sunday, Son’s decision to stay long-term was justified. And as he celebrated in front of the packed-out stands at the final whistle, he looked every inch the icon of a new era in north London.
In a team performance that married whole-hearted commitment with searing pace, it was the wholly devoted and rapid Son who truly embodyied Nuno’s new-look Spurs.