Antonio Conte made the move to Tottenham just over seven months ago and no one would've expected him to have made the impact he already has. Improvements in performances on the pitch have led to better results and meant that Spurs finished the season inside the top four.
This means the Lilywhites will return to Champions League football for the 2022/23 season. During the campaign, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur joined the Spurs camp, making an immediate impact on Conte's side.
Now the Italian needs further reinforcements to create the strongest side possible before August comes around. This will involve bringing in players to help with the depth of the squad and add some extra quality to the team the 52-year-old already has.
READ MORE: Super Son, brilliant Bentancur, mixed Emerson: Every Spurs player and Conte rated for the season
This will be helped with the £150million investment Tottenham announced ENIC had made on Tuesday, with football.london understanding the bulk of which will go to backing Conte this summer. However, creating a strong side will also require some outgoings as well as new arrivals.
A number of Spurs' academy players are likely to be sent out on loan next season, so they can continue their development by getting regular game time. In and amongst the first team, there will be some players returning from loan spells and a decision will have to be made over whether the Tottenham boss can see them fitting in with his setup in N17.
Pierluigi Gollini has been on a season long loan in north London, but his lack of match minutes and the Lilywhites seeming to be close to securing a deal with Fraser Forster are likely to drive him away. Real Madrid have their final option to re-sign Sergio Reguilon when the summer transfer window opens, for a fee that is believed to be around £43million, so they may need more depth there if the La Liga side come back in for the 25-year-old.
These decisions will need to be discussed with various parties, but football.london takes a look at the four players who need to make a decision on their Tottenham future.
Of course with every transfer, the player doesn't always get exactly what they want and the offers have to be there for a player to be sold. But these four all share a common problem of lack of game time, so they do need to think about what they want from their career.
Steven Bergwijn
Steven Bergwijn has struggled for game time this season. The winger has made 32 appearances in all competitions, with 25 of those coming in the Premier League, where he has scored three goals and registered an assist.
But the Dutch international has only made two 90 minute appearances in the league. Bergwijn is most often used as a substitute and the 24-year-old only admitted a few weeks ago that he didn't think he would get a place in the regular XI.
"A starting spot here? I don’t think so to be honest. It’s a complicated story for me. I don’t play much," he admitted.
Bergwijn was heavily linked with a move to Ajax in the January window, but a transfer never became a reality. In the same month, the Dutchman was the main reason Tottenham got three points on their trip to the King Power Stadium, scoring two injury time goals to help his side win the 3-2 thriller.
This is just one indication of the impact Bergwijn can have from the bench and is someone Conte does often look to. But if the Dutch international got the chance to go back to where he played during his youth career or somewhere else where he knows he will get more time on the pitch, it could be a more enticing option.
Lucas Moura
Another player who has also struggled for game time this season is Lucas Moura. Like Bergwijn, the Brazilian is most often used from the bench.
However, Moura was given the nod when Kulusevski had to start on the bench in Tottenham's final home game of the season, against Burnley. The 29-year-old did get more time on the pitch than his Dutch teammate, but as the season went on, the winger had to watch on from the side-lines a lot of the time.
The arrival and immediate impact of the Swede hasn't helped Moura and has pushed him further down the pecking order for Conte. In an exclusive interview with football.london, on behalf of Bookmakers.com, Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham gave his verdict on what he believes the Brazilian should do.
"It depends how he sees himself. I like the fact he's there as backup but then some players want to be playing consistently, rather than sitting on the bench," Sheringham admitted.
"It all depends what he wants to do. If he's happy playing a bit part, if he thinks he can force himself back into Conte's thinking, which he quite easily could and if he takes his chances a little bit better than what he has done this season, gets more consistency, then who knows, he could quite easily be that third man.
"I think he's a very dangerous player for Tottenham. All depends how he sees himself but I would say to stick around and try to force your way in," the 56-year-old added.
After Spurs' 1-0 victory over Burnley, Moura did seem to indicate his wants to remain in N17. "I love this club, I love to play for Tottenham," he said.
"Let's fight for more next season and fight for a trophy because they [fans] deserve it." However the Brazilian may have to have a long think, with a decision which could also be dependent on the new Tottenham arrivals this summer.
Joe Rodon
Arguably one of the most unlucky players at Spurs this season is Joe Rodon. The Welsh international is another who hasn't been helped by the quality of those ahead of him, in this case Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.
The 24-year-old made just 10 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham and in an exclusive interview with football.london, Ledley King explained why he thinks this was. "They probably are ahead of him, at this moment in time [the back three and Sanchez]," King explained.
"It's up to him to continue to work hard in training and hopefully wait for his opportunity. Sometimes it's when you're least expecting it that your opportunity comes along and you've just got to be ready.
"Davinson's had to do that. He's played the last couple of games and performed really well," the Tottenham legend added.
"It's not easy but Joe needs to do that as well. Just be ready, believe in himself and when his opportunity comes, try and take it with both hands."
What must be even harder for the defender is that he performs so well when on international duty with Wales, but he isn't given that same opportunity at club level. This has led many to believe a loan move could be best for Rodon, in order for him to get the game time he needs.
"I've worked with him close hand and I know he's a good lad and he wants to play but I do believe the club is in a good position at the moment," King added. "They are building something and they seem to have a real togetherness and I'm sure he's been a big part of that, in terms of staying ready, training every day and being on the bench and ready to come on when need be."
Harry Winks
It has been a long journey for Harry Winks at Tottenham, who has experienced highs and lows with the club he has been a part of since he was a child. But he is another player at a crossroads in his career.
Like the rest of the players on the list, the 26-year-old has struggled for game time this season. But the bigger problem is the midfielder has struggled for game time in a squad where he is the only real choice in the middle other than Conte's preferred starting pair of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bentancur.
Winks has failed to impress on a consistent basis, when he has been given the opportunity. Bentancur and Hojbjerg have made it difficult for him, with the duo creating a strong partnership in central midfield since the Uruguayan's arrival.
Pre-season will also hopefully see the return of Oliver Skipp from injury, which is likely to drop Winks down the pecking order once again - and that's before the prospect of any new arrivals is considered. The 26-year-old has previously explained his love for the club and playing for Spurs, but is that really enough to keep a player in N17, when they could be excelling in their career elsewhere?
These players all have common issues at Tottenham, no matter how much they enjoy being part of the squad. All four are under 30 and therefore have a number of years left of their footballing careers.
Whether they stay or leave the club will not be solely down to them, but they will all need to ask themselves the question of whether they would prefer to stay and not play, or make the difficult decision to move on and further their careers.
