After two summers of major overhaul, Manchester City hit the brakes last summer.
They may have made Riyad Mahrez their club record signing but when a deal to sign Jorginho fell through, Pep Guardiola opted to make do with what he had in midfield - even when Douglas Luiz failed to get a work permit and the early buzz around new youngster Claudio Gomes fell away. At left-back, ongoing concerns with Benjamin Mendy's fitness were put to one side and more faith placed in makeshift full-backs Aleks Zinchenko and Fabian Delph.
This transfer window looks set for more of the same.
City have already lost one central defender and could lose another but aren't expected to sign more than one replacement; Fernandinho has been mentioned as a potential option at the back, as has teenage defender Eric Garcia.
As it stands, plans to sign a new left-back given more Mendy injury woe remain firmly on the shelf with other parts of the defence prioritised. The club won't stand in the way of Fabian Delph or Danilo if they want more regular football - providing they can bring in one player.
Four out, two in does not sound like the best way to build on a squad that was stretched to its limits by a strong Quadruple effort and will be looking to go even further on their next attempt.
That, though, is the Guardiola way. City's coach would rather work with a smaller group of players that are completely motivated and will guarantee quality contributions whenever they are on the pitch than have a bigger squad and risk morale dipping as more players get agitated about a lack of game time.
It is likely to lead to points next season when the Blues look stretched. Some areas look thin on depth already and unless they stay miraculously free from injury and loss of form, there will be a lot of pressure on every member of the squad.
But this is a gamble that the manager would rather take, trusting those he has and coaching innovation to fix problems - hence the unusual solutions to Mendy's injuries, Ilkay Gundogan's increasing authority in Fernandinho's role and the flexibility of City's forwards.
The last two years at the club would suggest the tactic has been successful, which will be worth remembering if the Blues appear to be light at the close of the transfer window ahead of the beginning of the season.
