Tottenham's busy transfer window is set to continue in both the arrivals and departures lounge as Antonio Conte plans to trim and tone his squad into potential Premier League challengers next season.
The six signings so far have seen Spurs elevated to third favourites to win the title next year. Although Conte will be aiming to keep looking up the table rather than down towards a top-four challenge, the Italian is still aware of how much work needs to be done in order to compete with the league's runaway leaders.
However, with half a dozen new players added and the hope that exiled squad players can be moved on to generate extra revenue as the club chase another defensive recruit, the pressure on Spurs to be successful this season has increased.
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Alongside bitter north London rivals Arsenal, Spurs look to have made the most progress by identifying key areas for improvement and getting business done early. They have been handed a warning ahead of the new season, though.
TalkSport's Alex Crook said, "I'm interested by the Tottenham additions because the well-held wider view is that they have had a good window, which they have, but they've also signed one or two players that maybe you can question, the attitude of Djed Spence.
"He did brilliantly at Forest last year, but it's a huge step up from there to the Premier League, and we know that neither Neil Warnock nor Chris Wilder wanted him at Middlesbrough, so that's the situation that Antonio Conte needs to get a hold of."
Spence is the most recent purchase and made his debut in a friendly against Rangers, though Spence was also used as a third choice option at right wingback behind Emerson Royal and Lucas Moura. The highly rated 21-year-old caught the attention of football director Fabio Paratici last season, and Spurs managed to secure a £12m deal for the English ace after his breakthrough season in the Championship.
Spence is an unknown quantity when it comes to top-level opposition, but Spurs' decision to bring Ivan Perisic was a move based on his experience and work with Conte at Inter Milan. Crook is still doubtful about his transition to England as a 32-year-old.
"You've got Perisic, who isn't that young. How will he adapt to the Premier League?" He asked. "Fraser Forster is a backup goalkeeper. What kind of impact will that have in the dressing room? I think Yves Bissouma is the one that is a guaranteed success, but even with him, if you're talking about kicking onto the elite, he's a wonderful player, but there are certain elements of his game to work on.
"He doesn't score enough goals, doesn't provide enough assists, and Conte will want him to be a more rounded midfielder than he was at Brighton."
Bissouma was added for £32m earlier this summer, but the midfielder has only scored three goals and two assists in 112 league games. Although his primary role is as a box-to-box player, Conte's lack of attacking midfielder has raised concerns as Spurs look to make a move for Leicester's James Maddison.
"It's going to take time to gel, so I'm not 100% sold on all of Tottenham's business so far this summer," continued Crook. "The most important piece of business has been to keep hold of Harry Kane. With him and Son, we saw what they could do to defences at the end of last season.
"I don't think it's a shoo-in that Tottenham will be that much closer to Manchester City and Liverpool. In fact, when asked if they could compete for the title, Conte laughed."
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Antonio Conte admits club wanted Djed Spence but he greenlit deal as he can become 'important'
