Antonio Conte has now had three days in pre-season with most of his Tottenham squad. Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp returned to Hotspur Way last week, for some extra training due to their injuries last season.
Most of the other players arrived back on Monday, with Bryan Gil, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Pape Matar Sarr returning from their loan spells. The likes of Harry Kane, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Hugo Lloris will be linking up with the squad as the week continues, whilst Son Heung-min will meet his side in his home country.
Tottenham's first task is to prepare for their trip to South Korea, where they kick-off their pre-season matches, with a fixture against Team K League. After that, Spurs face Sevilla, Rangers and Roma, ahead of the 2022/23 season.
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The Lilywhites have had a successful start to the winter window, welcoming Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison to N17 so far. There are a number of other players linked with moves to Spurs and plenty of time to still get business done.
Conte also needs to assess the players in his current squad, as outgoings will also be needed this summer. Steven Bergwijn's return to Ajax seems close to completion, with a fee of £27.8million agreed and a medical on Wednesday.
Harry Winks has been heavily linked with a move away and Joe Rodon is likely to move on for more regular game time. With the arrival of Perisic, Sergio Reguilon is another who could close his Tottenham chapter this summer.
However, there are a number of Spurs players whose futures in N17 still raise questions and football.london takes a look at four players whose pre-season could be make or break.
Japhet Tanganga
Tanganga was one of the early returners to Hotspur Way, after his knee injury kept him out for most of the second half of last season. Before that, the 23-year-old had made 11 Premier League appearances.
The defender showed Conte he was someone who could be relied on, with his versatility allowing him to slot in when needed. Although Tanganga did make mistakes in some of his appearances, he also showed signs of his potential.
Therefore this pre-season could be crucial for his next steps. What happens with him this summer could be down to what other defenders are brought to north London this summer, but he could also make an impact himself.
If the Englishman impresses in pre-season, is given the opportunity to play and makes the required impact, not only may Conte not feel he needs to bring in as many new defenders, it could also help push Tanganga up the pecking order. However, if he doesn't impress enough, he will struggle to get the game time he needs to develop, with him still being young.
At this point in his career, the 23-year-old may benefit most from a loan spell. Skipp has shown you can go out, find success at another club, come back and make an immediate impact. That may be what Tanganga needs, but whilst he is still part of Conte's squad, he needs to work hard to impress.
Davinson Sanchez
Much like Tanganga, Sanchez wasn't part of the Italian's regular XI last season. However, the Colombian was the first to be given the nod whenever one of Tottenham's back three were injured.
Sanchez is another who can make mistakes in games, but he finished the season strongly, having made 23 Premier League appearances and he even scored a couple of goals. The defender is another whose future could depend on incomings, as the summer goes on.
Earlier this year, Conte reiterated the 26-year-old's value to the squad. "Sanchez has come in and has played three or four games, but before that, he played every game. We have our trust in him," the Italian admitted.
There have been some rumours linking the Colombian with a move away but a big pre-season could be a game changer for Sanchez. If Conte does welcome new defensive players at Tottenham, the 26-year-old will have even more work to do, to keep himself near the top of the pecking order.
Therefore Sanchez is another who needs to work hard during pre-season and grab every opportunity he is given with both hands, to stop his future in N17 being questioned.
Lucas Moura
Lucas' future is another whose has been up in the air, in recent month, as the Brazilian has struggled to get ahead of Dejan Kulusevski, Kane and Son. The 29-year-old made 34 Premier League appearances last season, starting just 19.
Lucas has spoken to the Brazilian media on a number of occasions, regarding his Tottenham future, with the latest seeming to confirm he would be staying in N17 for at least another year. "The idea is to fulfil the contract," he explained.
"It has one more year, with the option of one more, on the part of the club. So at the end of this season now, if the club wants to extend another year, they have that option.
"But my idea is this. Finalising the contract, playing in the Champions League, we haven’t played the Champions League for two years, and now it could be, perhaps, my last Champions League there at Tottenham. So then the idea is to stay there, fulfil the contract, then be free, then decide where I’m going," Moura added.
With the arrival of Richarlison, the winger only now has more competition to try and get regular game time. Moura is another player that Conte can rely on, as someone he can bring on during the game and he knows he will give 100 per cent and add some pace to the match.
Therefore this pre-season is a crucial time for the Brazilian to show that he can still be that player and can potentially still improve, with further guidance from the Italian.
Emerson Royal
Royal may not have long to prove himself at Tottenham, if Djed Spence's move is completed in the coming days or weeks, although football.london understands that Spurs are yet to agree on a deal with Middlesbrough for the youngster.
If Spence's move is completed, it will make the Brazilian's chances of staying at Spurs even slimmer. The 23-year-old made the move to the capital last summer, brought as a full-back for Nuno Espirito Santo.
Royal then had to make the adaptation to a wing-back, after Conte's arrival and struggled to make the required impact. However, the defender was another who improved as the season went on and he ended up making 31 Premier League appearances, due to Matt Doherty's injury.
In a summer where Spurs are trying to build the strongest squad possible, it doesn't look too likely that Royal will be one of those who fits in the Italian's plans. Both the 23-year-old and Reguilon are both not believed to be keen about moving on, but Tottenham are likely to listen to offers for the duo this summer.
Therefore even though there may not be much time for the Brazilian, all he can do is work as hard as possible and try and make a case for why he should remain in N17.
Plenty of players who still have time to prove themselves and plenty of decisions for Conte to make, as Tottenham continue pre-season training and a crucial summer transfer window.
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