THE sight of someone other than Harry Kane wearing the number 10 shirt for Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday was a peculiar one. It’ll take some getting used to watching Spurs without their all-time top scorer leading the line, with Kane now officially a Bayern Munich player, but James Maddison’s decision to take the number 10 highlighted a willingness at the club to move on.

Tottenham have much more to worry about right now. Kane’s departure was a painful one, but Ange Postecoglou is leading an overhaul of the North London club that started with Sunday’s entertaining 2-2 draw away to Brentford. While the performance was far from perfect, it showcased how the Australian wants to change Spurs.

Far from being the insipid, reactive team they were under Antonio Conte, Tottenham played with energy and intensity against Brentford. They were positioned much higher up the pitch with Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Maddison all tasked with pressing from the front. When Spurs had the ball, they moved it quickly. It was fun to watch and that in itself was an achievement.

Of course, Tottenham are a poorer team for not having Kane. The 30-year-old is arguably the best all-round centre forward in the sport and so Postecoglou surely would have found a way to integrate him into his new-look team. Kane brought a guarantee of goals that nobody in the Spurs squad can immediately replace.

However, Kane’s exit will help Postecoglou make his mark on Tottenham Hotspur. The Australian has a very clear vision for Spurs and Kane would have been an award fit within that vision. While the England captain is an exceptional finisher and passer, he isn’t renowned for his high-pressing ability or mobility in the attacking third. This is what Postecoglou wants from his number nine.

Spurs will feel the pain of Kane’s departure in the short-term, but if the point of Postecoglou’s appointment was to generate meaningful medium-to-long-term change, a blank canvas might well be welcomed by the former Celtic manager. This way, he can build an outfit that truly reflects his own identity.

“Football clubs move on pretty quickly,” said Postecoglou when asked how he reacted to Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich. “I haven’t needed to address it. I haven’t needed to give [the squad] a warm fuzzy cuddle just to see how they are. We had a game to prepare for and they knew that. If it felt like we were distracted, or I was distracted, or anyone else, you would have seen evidence of it today. But we showed a real resilience. It’s going to be a challenging year.

“Harry Kane was a massive figure for this club for a long time and will continue to be whether he is in the building or not. We wanted to go out and give our supporters some hope and belief in the team.”

A number of Tottenham players are already thriving under the stewardship of the new manager. Emerson Royal and Destiny Udogie both shone in the draw against Brentford, emboldened by Postecoglou to get forward despite being part of a back four. New signing Micky van de Ven did a good job of carrying the ball out from the back while Maddison, with the number 10 on his back, consistently found pockets of space in advanced areas.

The Postecoglou era is under way at Tottenham Hotspur and a clean break with Kane might ultimately help the club accelerate their development. Conte and Jose Mourinho felt they never had the freedom to remould Spurs in the way they wanted, but with Kane now gone Postecoglou has that.