Jose Mourinho enjoyed a busy transfer window in his first summer as Tottenham Hotspur boss.
Determined to drive Spurs up the Premier League table after last season’s sixth-place finish, club chairman Daniel Levy worked hard to secure Mourinho’s top targets, bringing in Sergio Reguilon, Matt Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon and Joe Hart as well as securing loan moves for Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius.
The early signs are hugely promising, too, with Tottenham sitting just one point behind leaders Leicester City after eight games.
And Mourinho will be content with how the new faces have settled.
The adventurous Reguilon has already caught the eye at left-back, Doherty has adapted impressively to a more defensive role compared to the one he had at Wolverhampton Wanderers while Hojbjerg has been rock-solid in midfield , the Dane playing every minute of the league campaign so far following his arrival from Southampton.
Of course, Spurs will be wary of their rivals strengthening their squads in the winter window.
Liverpool may look to sign a centre-back, Manchester United will perhaps feel the need to dip into the market after an inconsistent start to the season and it would not be surprising to see Chelsea revive their interest in West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
With resting on their laurels not an option for Spurs, further additions may be forthcoming in January, as long as the north Londoners can shift some of the deadwood out of Mourinho’s squad.
One of the main areas of concern for Mourinho is at centre-back. While Rodon was captured from Swansea City, the fact that his league involvement has amounted to a one-minute cameo against Burnley suggests Spurs fans may need to exercise patience with regards to his development.
Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier have excelled in recent weeks, but there is a sense that, if Spurs are to challenge for the title, they will need more depth in that position.
Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar seems the most likely target given Tottenham’s interest over the summer.
As per The Guardian, Spurs held talks with the Serie A side, but a deal failed to materialise with Inter demanding £55m for the Slovakia international.
Skriniar, 25, has endured a slow start to the current campaign following a spell out after testing positive for Covid-19, but having been ever-present in the Inter back-line throughout his first three years in Milan, he boasts the experience and top-level pedigree to elevate the Spurs defence.
With Reguilon and Ben Davies as left-back options, Danny Rose seems certain to move on in January after being left out of Mourinho’s Premier League and Europa League squads.
The same can be said for Paulo Gazzaniga, who has fallen to third in the goalkeeping pecking order after Hart’s arrival.
Higher up the pitch, Mourinho is expected to shake up his midfield option in the near future.
The name on everyone’s lips is Marcel Sabitzer with Spurs said to be weighing up a bid for the versatile RB Leipzig captain, who can play virtually anywhere in midfield.
The Austria international would be a hugely exciting proposition for Spurs having registered nine goals and seven assists during an eye-catching 2019/20 Bundesliga campaign.
His arrival would almost certainly cut short Gedson Fernandes’ loan from Benfica, however, with the 21-year-old having failed to make an impact following his arrival in January.
Mourinho hinted that he would be open to sending Fernandes back to Benfica, recently telling Portuguese broadcaster Sport TV that his future lay in the hands of his parent club.
Spurs may also be able to raise funds for a potential Sabitzer deal by selling Lucas Moura, who has been reduced to a bit-part role in the league following Bale’s arrival.
There also doesn’t appear to be a place for Dele Alli, who has fallen out of Mourinho’s favour after initially starring during the early stages of the new era.
With the Euros next summer, Alli may decide that playing his football elsewhere is the most logical option for his England chances. The 24-year-old could be sold at a premium, helping to fund possible deals for Skriniar and Sabitzer.
Tottenham’s ideal 25-man first-team squad:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Joe Hart, Alfie Whiteman
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Serge Aurier, Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon, Sergio Reguilon, Japhet Tanganga, Matt Doherty, Milan Skriniar
Midfielders: Moussa Sissoko, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Marcel Sabitzer
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Erik Lamela, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, Carlos Vinicius
