Tottenham Hotspur have completed one of the most dramatic squad rebuilds in their recent history, and Roberto De Zerbi can have few complaints about the tools at his disposal.
After two successive 17th-place Premier League finishes, standing still was never an option.
Tottenham responded emphatically.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savio and Jan Paul van Hecke arrived for huge fees. Omar Marmoush followed from Manchester City, while Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi added experience without transfer fees.
Then came another deadline-day twist.
Mykhaylo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo arrived from Chelsea as Tottenham continued reshaping De Zerbi’s squad until the final hours of the window.
The rebuild has been expensive and ruthless.
Now it has to work.
Tottenham transfer window completely changes De Zerbi’s midfield
Perhaps no area illustrates Tottenham’s ambition better than central midfield.
Spurs committed £100million to sign Tonali from Newcastle United, according to Sky Sports, after already paying £85m for Mateus Fernandes.
That is an extraordinary level of investment in one department.
Tottenham needed greater control and technical quality after spending too much of last season battling at the wrong end of the Premier League.
Tonali should immediately become one of the most important players in De Zerbi’s side.
The Italy international can dictate possession, play through pressure and provide the aggression required when Tottenham lose the ball.
Fernandes gives De Zerbi another midfielder capable of operating in an intense possession-based system.
Their arrivals also changed the futures of players already at the club.
Pape Matar Sarr informed Tottenham that he wanted to leave after falling down the hierarchy, while Yves Bissouma departed following the expiry of his contract.
This is no longer a midfield built around potential solutions.
Tottenham have spent heavily to give De Zerbi players expected to deliver immediately.
Savio and Marmoush transform Tottenham’s attacking options
Attack was another obvious problem.
Tottenham lacked enough players capable of consistently deciding matches last season, particularly when injuries began disrupting the side.
Savio changes that.
The Brazilian arrived from Manchester City after becoming De Zerbi’s leading wide target and immediately showed what he could offer.
He registered a goal and an assist on his debut during the 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Charlton Athletic.
De Zerbi had previously explained that Savio brings the imagination and quality Tottenham were missing in wide areas.
Marmoush adds another proven attacking option.
Reuters reported that Tottenham’s agreement for the Egypt international contains a mandatory purchase clause worth £50m, with a further £10m potentially payable through add-ons.
He can operate through the middle or from wider positions, giving De Zerbi considerably more flexibility around Dominic Solanke.
Then there is Mudryk.
The deadline-day arrival is undoubtedly a gamble after such a long period without competitive football.
However, De Zerbi knows the winger from their time together at Shakhtar Donetsk and has already explained why he believes Mudryk can revive his career at Tottenham.
There is risk involved.
There is also now enough attacking talent for Tottenham to expect far more than survival.
Tottenham were ruthless with their defence
The scale of the overhaul becomes even clearer in defence.
Cristian Romero left for Atletico Madrid, Djed Spence joined Inter Milan and highly-rated Luka Vuskovic moved to Brighton.
Kevin Danso also departed for Sunderland after deciding he wanted a new challenge.
Tottenham did not simply promote from within to replace them.
Van Hecke arrived from Brighton for £52m.
Senesi joined following his Bournemouth departure, Robertson brought considerable Premier League experience at left-back and Adarabioyo became the final defensive addition.
The latter only emerged as a serious option once Danso’s departure became likely.
That deal showed how quickly Tottenham were willing to react.
De Zerbi has already praised Adarabioyo’s quality and mentality following his deadline-day arrival, while the defender revealed that Dominic Solanke also helped convince him to make the move.
Tottenham’s late move for Adarabioyo initially emerged as Danso approached the exit.
The defensive rebuild is not without risk.
Losing Romero removes a proven leader and Vuskovic could yet develop into an elite centre-back.
But Tottenham have clearly chosen De Zerbi’s squad over protecting what existed before him.
Richarlison decision sums up Tottenham’s new ruthlessness
Perhaps the clearest example came after the English transfer deadline.
Richarlison remained at Tottenham after a proposed return to Everton collapsed.
Yet the Brazilian has now reportedly been left out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad.
That is an enormous call.
Spurs could easily have kept him around as depth, particularly given his experience.
Instead, De Zerbi appears prepared to move forward without him.
Tottenham had already reached an agreement which could have taken Richarlison back to Everton before that deal collapsed.
His omission underlines how dramatically the hierarchy has changed.
Marmoush and Solanke are ahead of him through the middle, while De Zerbi has several new options across the attacking positions.
Sentiment has not influenced Tottenham’s decisions this summer.
That is exactly what a club coming off consecutive 17th-place finishes required.
De Zerbi now has nowhere to hide at Tottenham
There are legitimate questions about this window.
Tottenham have spent enormous sums.
Some of the fees look aggressive and several major departures could eventually be questioned.
Building so heavily around one manager’s preferred style also carries long-term risk.
But those concerns cannot become excuses for De Zerbi.
Tottenham have backed him.
They have signed players he wanted and moved on players who no longer fitted his plans.
They have broken their previous spending limits and rebuilt huge sections of the squad.
Reuters reported before the final days of the window that Tottenham’s spending had already moved beyond £300m.
The final business only strengthened the sense that this is now De Zerbi’s Tottenham.
Nobody should expect a newly assembled squad to become title contenders overnight.
But another season fighting near the bottom would be indefensible.
Tottenham now have a midfield containing Tonali and Fernandes. They have Savio and Marmoush in attack. De Zerbi has been given new defensive options and additional depth.
The minimum expectation has changed.
After everything Tottenham did this summer, merely surviving is no longer enough.
This squad now has to start climbing the Premier League table.
