When Ange Postecoglou set out his vision for Tottenham's future back in May, he made it clear that his transformation of the club was still a long way from complete.
“We need change, change has to happen,” Postecoglou said, in a stirring address ahead of what was expected to be another summer overhaul at Spurs.
And the club has, undoubtedly, made big changes this summer, demonstrating a ruthless edge in trimming the fat from Postecoglou's squad.
Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon, Joe Rodon, Japhet Tanganga, Troy Parrott, Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso have all moved on, while Manor Solomon, Alejo Veliz, Dane Scarlett and Ashley Phillips are among the senior players to have been sent on loan.
Four new signings have arrived in Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert; Timo Werner's loan has been extended for a further season; and Djed Spence has been reintegrated into the squad after spending last term away on loan.
For so much upheaval, though, Postecoglou's first team has not dramatically changed from last season.
A new signing has started each of Spurs' first two games in the front three - Solanke at Leicester and Odobert against Everton - but the manager's first-choice back five and midfield are, for now, the same.
"Our main focus was the front area, bolstering that," Postegoglou said on Friday.
There is no doubt, however, that Spurs' squad feels deeper and, crucially, more suited to Postecoglou's high-octane, attacking football.
On the final day of last term, a 3-0 win over Sheffield United, Postecoglou's five substitutes were Hojbjerg, Royal, Skipp, Scarlett and teenager Mikey Moore.
For the 4-0 thrashing of Everton last weekend, the head coach was able to bring on Bergvall, Gray, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr and Spence, who feels like a new signing given his surprising renaissance.
Postecoglou's never-back-down approach is more likely to be successful in the Premier League if Spurs have high-level, technical players to bring off the bench, as they showed against the Toffees.
"I certainly think we've got a more well-rounded squad to deal with Europe, the extra games and whatever injuries we have," Postecoglou said.
"The suitability to the football I want to play, we're much better equipped for that."
By way of example, it was pointed out to Postecoglou on Friday that Spurs had three senior centre-backs at the start of last term: Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Eric Dier.
A year on, Radu Dragusin has replaced Dier but Spurs still have the same depth in the position, so has their situation really improved?
"I don't think we're in the same position," Postecoglou said. "Radu is a different proposition for us... I think we're in a much different position than we were last year."
Postecoglou's point was clear. He may have a similar number of players in certain areas, but crucially they are now players he trusts and is willing to play.
Again, Bergvall and Gray may be inexperienced but they feel better suited to Postecoglou's football than Hojbjerg and Skipp, who are sturdy but not particularly technical.
The pair, who were so impressive in pre-season that Spurs shelved plans to pursue another midfielder, are among four teenagers signed by club this summer, along with Odobert, 19, and South Korean Yang Min-hyeok, 18, who will arrive in January.
In a single window, Spurs have significantly reduced the age profile of the squad.
Add in Moore, 17, as well as young centre-backs Phillips, 19, and Luka Vuskovic, 17, who were both name-checked by Postecoglou on Friday, and Spurs have an incredibly exciting group of young players on the books.
"I've always tried to build teams that will last over a cycle which is three, four, five years," said Postecoglou, who added that young players tend to be "a little bit more open" to his prescriptive demands as a coach.
Indeed, this summer may prove a significant step towards building a great Spurs team of the not-too-distant future, perhaps equipped to win the Premier League in two, three or four years' time when the landscape is different (and, for example, Pep Guardiola is no longer at perennial champions Manchester City).
Exciting as that is, in the here and now, Spurs are plainly short in certain areas and head into another season at risk of major problems if injuries strike.
They are short of quality cover at goalkeeper and left-back, and serious injuries to Guglielmo Vicario or Destiny Udogie would immediately decrease the level of Postecoglou's XI.
Spence's ability to cover not just on his favoured right but the left side of defence remains to be seen, and Spurs are an injury pile-up away from Gray or Ben Davies filling in at centre-half.
Their failure to land another centre-half, preferably who could cover at left-back, is surely the window's biggest risk, though Postecoglou said he is wary of blocking the pathway for Phillips and Vuskovic.
Spurs also appear short of an elite No6, unless Postecoglou's repeated appeals for Yves Bissouma to be "the best version of himself" lead to more consistent top-level performances from the Malian.
Similarly, for all their variety in attack, the squad would benefit from another winger who can consistently deliver.
Should Gray and Odobert (or Brennan Johnson) fulfill their potential, Spurs will have elite options at holding midfield and in the front three in the future, but for now their young players are still developing.
For his part, Postecoglou believes it has been a "real positive window" for Spurs and said he feels backed by the club, which is arguably all that matters.
The manager acknowledged that Spurs could have done more this summer, but believes an even bigger overhaul would have impacted the team's ability to compete in the top-flight this season.
"We've just about gone to the maximum in terms of turnover, without it affecting competitiveness," he said. "Because obviously we finished fifth last year, which was a decent outcome for us in terms of where we were. But you don't want to be doing this and finishing eighth or tenth or falling off the top half of the table. It's always a balancing act."
Back in April, Postecoglou insisted that he expected the club to be challenging for the title in a year's time - “I hope so, or why am I doing what I’m doing?" he said - but Spurs have not emerged from the summer with a squad capable of really pushing City and Arsenal this season, especially given their European commitments.
Instead, Spurs are playing a longer game, using this window to finally clear the dead wood and begin the process of assembling a promising group which can fulfil their potential over the next few years.
That is a perfectly sensible approach, but supporters and Postecoglou, who has never failed to win the title in his second season at a club, may have to be patient.
