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When Manchester City's Brazilian duo Ederson and Savinho walked out of the Etihad together on Saturday, they might have taken a glance backwards and considered what they could leave behind.
Ederson had only been on the bench against Tottenham, with James Trafford keeping his place in goal, and a move to Galatasaray remains a possibility for the 32-year-old. That would allow City to make a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has been cast aside by Paris St-Germain.
If this was Ederson's final appearance in a City squad, then he could look back with some pride. His 372 appearances for the club place him 14th on the all-time list and third for goalkeepers, while he has won everything there is to win. His performance in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2023 etched him into the history books.
He was open to a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, and although he has been less open to a departure this year, a switch to Turkey now looks a distinct possibility. He has a year left on his contract and his time at the Etihad is clearly coming to an end, one way or the other. There will be no regrets, at least.
Savinho, on the other hand, would be a very different scenario. The 21-year-old has spent just one season at the club and a return of three goals and 13 assists from 48 appearances only hinted at the talent he has. He also came up trophyless after a difficult season.
Leaving now for a club in Spurs that finished 33 points behind City in last season's Premier League table would be a decision that is hard to fathom. If Ederson is going out the front door, then Savinho signing for Tottenham would feel like an exit via the back.
But the direction of travel seems to be heading that way. The winger has been absent so far this season, but his importance to Pep Guardiola was evident when he played the most minutes of any City player at the Club World Cup.
There is no suggestion that he was going to fall down the pecking order this season. If anything, his importance had gone up, and there was a hope he would follow the pattern of many City players under Guardiola and kick on substantially in year two.
Instead, he is eyeing up a move to Tottenham. A penny for his thoughts as he watched Thomas Frank's side win impressively at the Etihad on Saturday. As well as Spurs played, and as disappointing as City were, it would still count as a major shock if the season ended with Tottenham higher in the table.
It's difficult to understand why a first-team player would want to swap City for Tottenham right now, but that appears to be the case. With Saturday's fixture now out of the way, transfer talks could accelerate again.
As Guardiola tells every player, if they want to leave, then they can if they bring a good offer. City would be looking to double their money on Savinho, having signed him for around £30million a year ago.
If Tottenham stump up the cash, a move looks likely. That might lead City to Madrid and Rodrygo as a replacement.
That might well be an upgrade in the squad, but it would still go down as one of the more unexpected transfers of the window, and Savinho would surely be leaving City thinking about what could have been. Unlike his international compatriot.
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