For all the early positivity surrounding Tottenham Hotspur following the solid start to life under new boss Ange Postecoglou, there may be a concern as to what the longstanding impact of losing talisman Harry Kane will be across the course of the season as a whole.

With the England skipper belatedly sealing a £100m move to Bayern Munich last month, the Lilywhites will have to somehow fill the void of a figure who netted 278 goals across the last decade or so – including a stellar haul of 30 Premier League goals last term.

On the evidence of the recent 5-2 thrashing of newly-promoted Burnley, hat-trick hero Heung-min Son may provide a more than adequate option in that number nine berth, in the short-term at least, while summer signing Brennan Johnson can also slot in through the middle if required.

That being said, however, with the two men more typically operating on the flanks, the decision not to sign a genuine replacement for Kane – aside from teenage Argentine, Alejo Veliz – may come back to bite Postecoglou and co before too long.

At present, the north Londoners are left to rely on Brazilian enigma, Richarlison as their sole, orthodox option to lead the line, although the former Celtic boss may well be wishing he had a star name of Tottenham's recent past to spearhead his attack instead…

How many goals has Richarlison scored for Tottenham?

It may be a worrying thought for supporters if Son does return to his usual left-wing berth in the near future, as the centre-forward burden will have to fall the way of the former Everton man – a player who scored just one league goal since joining on a £60m deal last summer.

While the 26-year-old is off the mark for the new season after scoring in the Carabao Cup clash with Fulham last month, his goalscoring woes were also laid bare on international duty, as he squandered a gilt-edged chance in Brazil's thumping 5-1 win over Bolivia.

Despite previously shining for the Toffees – for whom he scored 53 goals in 152 games in all competitions – the £90k-per-week marksman has just four goals to his name in 40 outings for Spurs to date, representing a dismal tally for such an expensive addition.

A player with "no standout attributes" – according to pundit Gabby Agbonlahor – Richarlison does not look likely to be the long-term solution for Postecoglou in that central role, with an instant improvement needed if he is to have a future at N17.

4 games

3 starts

0 goals

0 assists

1 big chance missed

0 chances created

71% pass accuracy rate

22% total duels won

Stats via Sofascore

The former Watford man's woes are also exacerbated when placed alongside the plethora of quality strikers that the club have had on their books in the modern era, with Jermain Defoe no doubt one such figure who would have been perfect for the 'Ange-ball' set-up in the present day.

How many goals did Jermain Defoe score for Tottenham?

Hailed as "prolific" by former boss Andre Villas-Boas, the former England international was a simply lethal poaching presence in his pomp, scoring goals galore across his two spells with the north London outfit.

After rising up through the youth ranks at West Ham United, the diminutive hitman was snapped up by David Pleat and co on a £7m deal back in February 2004, with the then-Spurs boss lauding his new addition as "quite exceptional" due to his prior goal return for the Hammers.

That switch across the capital proved rather inspired as Defoe netted seven times in just 15 league games at the tail-end of the 2003/04 campaign, before plundering 32 top-flight goals across the next three seasons combined, prior to linking up with Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth in 2008.

The "single-minded" sensation – as hailed by Redknapp – was soon back in Lilywhite and continued to thrive despite not always nailing down a regular starting role, with his total tally for the club standing at 140 goals in 361 games in all competitions across both spells.

How good was Jermain Defoe?

Unlike Richarlison's current woes, the 5 foot 7 goal machine was a reliable attacking weapon due to his clinical and ruthless finishing prowess, with Postecoglou likely to have loved utilising a player who would have fit the mould of his ex-Celtic talisman, Kyogo Furuhashi.

Also standing at just 5 foot 7, Kyogo was the Greek-Aussie's first signing following his appointment at Parkhead back in the summer of 2021, with the Japanese international going on to score 54 goals in just 83 games under the current Spurs boss.

Despite his small and slender frame, the 28-year-old has been able to terrorise Premiership opponents due to his knack for stretching a defence, with Postecoglou describing his movement as the "best I've ever seen".

That trait was no doubt shared by Defoe throughout his career, with former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard – who played alongside the striker for England – saying back in 2019: "I used to love playing with him. He’s a dream for a midfielder because his movement tells you where to play the ball."

In contrast to Kane – who journalist Tyrone Marshall stated has continued to 'drop deeper from goal' – Defoe mirrored Kyogo in being the type of player who was not necessarily too focused on being involved in the build-up, instead waiting to pounce when his moment came.

In Scotland's top-flight last term, the Hoops striker averaged just 13.3 touches per game – far fewer than Kane averaged in the league last season (38.8) – as a sign of how Postecoglou was happy for him to bide his time as a predatory, poaching option in the final third.

There's no denying that Defoe – who Villas-Boas described as someone who "sniffs out goal-scoring opportunities and makes the most of them" – could have replicated that approach in north London, with it a crying shame that Postecoglou does not have Pleat's signing to call upon, instead of Richarlison.

Of course, 'Ange-ball' is currently flourishing amid this unbeaten start to the new Premier League season, yet Spurs could be left to rue the lack of an out-and-out goalscorer sooner rather than later.