Tottenham’s push for a top-four finish is perhaps more loaded than any previous scrap with Arsenal for Champions League football because, this season, it feels inexorably linked to the future of Harry Kane.
For Kane, Spurs' position at the end of the season is likely to be one of two factors the England captain takes into consideration when deciding his next move.
Kane pursued a transfer last summer but found his way out of Spurs blocked, leading to weeks of frustrations and accusations.
At present, he is said to be focusing solely on finishing the campaign as strongly as possible and is yet to make up his mind on whether to agitate for a move again at the end of the campaign, amid continuing links to Manchester United and neighbours City.
The 28-year-old has made it plain how much he enjoys working with Antonio Conte, so the head coach's own uncertain future at Spurs is likely to have a bearing on Kane's thinking.
But, ultimately, Champions League football could be the deciding factor for Kane, even if it is not for his manager.
For one thing, it is just increasingly difficult to imagine Kane playing another season in the Europa League or Conference League when he so clearly belongs at the highest level.
Even after finishing with the most goals and assists in the Premier League last season, Kane has got better under Conte, to the point where he is now genuinely the best playmaker in the top-flight while remaining one of the most dangerous finishers. There is no one in world football who feels more like two players in one.
Kane has even - at the risk of massively tempting fate - appeared to move beyond the troublesome spate of ankle ligament injuries which at one point looked certain to punctuate the rest of his career.
He has not suffered a serious ankle problem since January 2019 and although he sustained injuries to both last season, he was back in training after a week on each occasion, suggesting he is developing that quality of imperviousness which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had at their respective peaks.
Returning to the top four would also offer concrete and incontrovertible proof that Spurs are back on the up and progressing under Conte, which has been evident in their performances in recent weeks.
It would make it harder for Kane to argue that he cannot see a path to the trophies he craves by staying in north London, while ensuring the club should be more capable of sufficiently backing Conte in the transfer market, which is what Kane wants to see if he is to commit to Spurs.
The other consideration for Kane this summer is set to be this year's World Cup. Kane has targeted playing into his 40s and, given the way he has adapted his game, there is no reason to think this winter will be his final chance to win the biggest prize in international football.
It may, however, be his last opportunity to play a finals in his prime - he will be on the verge of turning 33 during the 2026 tournament - and he should actually go to Qatar in an intriguing and perhaps unique position.
The tournament will be the last finals for the current generation of superstars like Messi, Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Thiago Silva, and could be the decisive point where the baton is handed to the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and the next wave of young icons.
While Mbappe may be considered the standout player in Qatar, Kane might be the only individual considered among the top four or five in the world who is genuinely at the very peak of his powers during the tournament, adding extra pressure and motivation.
For Spurs, this dynamic is surely a positive. Kane will be determined not to repeat his slow to start this season during a campaign with a World Cup midway through, which is an added incentive for him to avoid another summer of acrimony trying to force his way out of Spurs against the will of Daniel Levy.
Equally, he may not be best served by going into the finals while adapting to a team in transition, as United would be under, say, Mauricio Pochettino or Erik ten Hag. Jack Grealish's comparative quiet start for City proves that Kane moving to the Etihad would also be no guarantee of immediately hitting the ground running.
One consequence of the mid-season World Cup therefore may be to increase Spurs' chances of persuading Kane to stay put, although that will be a far harder task without Champions League football on offer.
