There was more interest in the executive boxes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the first day of the season, as the boardroom back-and-forth between Spurs and Manchester City in the preceding weeks provided more drama than the action on the pitch.

City had made Spurs talisman Harry Kane their top transfer target over the summer after the England captain strongly hinted at his desire to leave the club and win trophies. However, even after Kane stayed away from Tottenham’s pre-season training to try and force through a move, he had to back down and admit defeat when Daniel Levy simply wouldn’t negotiate with City.

After his lack of preparations for the opening day visit of City, there was no meeting between Kane and the club who tried so hard to sign him on the pitch and he stayed away from the stadium, perhaps wisely. The director’s box seemed to have a camera permanently fixated on it, and Heung-min Son’s only goal was a sideshow in the narrative as City started the season with defeat.

Post-match, all the focus was on whether City could go the season without a striker, and whether they should have offered more for Kane. There was also talk of whether Spurs could reintegrate Kane and get the best out of him after his public declarations to leave.

Now, 24 Premier League games later, and City have their answer. So do Tottenham.

In all competitions, City have played 38 games this season and have registered a ridiculous 98 goals – 61 coming in the Premier League. Considering they have played all of those games without a recognised striker – not counting six outings for Ferran Torres or the recent return of Liam Delap – it’s remarkable that City have been so prolific.

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Manchester City have started their campaign strongly, sitting at the Premier League summit and easily qualifiying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

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On reflection, City’s ability to rotate their false nine has been pivotal to their success, particularly the current 15-game unbeaten run in the league. They have shown emphatically that they didn’t need Kane, and were right not to raise their bid over the valuation they felt was fair to meet Levy’s demands. If they pass the 100-goal mark for the season against Spurs, it will be clear proof they are doing just fine without Kane.

The Spurs no.10 has hardly made them regret missing out on him either. Last season, he won the Golden Boot and Playmaker Awards, but he only has five league goals this season, 11 off current top scorer Mo Salah. He only has two league assists as well in 21 appearances, with a total of 15 goals and three assists in all competitions.

It’s a goal contribution every 0.5 games, which is impressive, however 11 of his 18 goals or assists have come away from the Premier League, mostly in the Europa Conference League or FA Cup against a lower standard of opposition. It’s not a record that City will be rueful of, especially his underwhelming league form.

Having signed Julian Alvarez in January to join for next season, City are also planning to sign a big-name striker in the summer. That could well be Kane, although he will be 29 at the end of the campaign so targets like Erling Haaland would be far better options.

So when City and Tottenham renew acquaintances on Saturday, there may only be a passing reference to City’s summer interest in Kane.

If there are any questions raised over Kane’s future this weekend, it will more be whether he still fits at Spurs, rather than if he could still be the answer to City’s striker issue. The Blues look to have moved on.