A gluttonous, record-breaking transfer window is finally in the books, and it's time for the football to do the talking. For Tottenham Hotspur, that might not be a good thing.
Keen to rid themselves of last season's horror and ensure it never happens again, the club committed to an atypical spending spree. While priority targets were missed late in the day, Roberto De Zerbi must believe he's overseen a transformative window, even if his side have lost back-to-back games to open the new season.
Despite the on-pitch struggles and double Chelsea swoop, there's still reason for deflated Lilywhite supporters to believe. It's going to take some time for what's essentially a new team to grow with one another. Telepathy isn't attained in an instant.
In total, 10 new signings have arrived in N17, keen to return the club back towards the Premier League's summit.
Here's how we've graded each of these additions.
Marcos Senesi (Free) – B+
It was a fairly unassuming start to the summer, with Spurs taking advantage of the free agent market.
We'd laid the groundwork to sign Marcos Senesi before De Zerbi's arrival, and once survival was confirmed on the final day, the Argentine's arrival became inevitable.
I may be swooned by aesthetics, but I'm a big fan of the former Bournemouth defender. Senesi breaks lines for fun, and is the ideal centre-back for what De Zerbi wants to achieve in possession. There are concerns about his athleticism, and the opening-day defeat at Brentford proved that he can't partner up with another Spurs newbie.
Andy Robertson (Free) – B-
We almost got this one done in January before Liverpool had a change of heart. Andy Robertson is a legend on Merseyside, but he isn't the player he once was.
While the Scot can still surge on the overlap, he's no longer an assertive defender who can own the left flank. He should be second choice behind Destiny Udogie.
Martin Dúbravka (Free) – B
Antonín Kinsky hasn't had the start to the season he would've liked, and the young Czech still has some winning over to do despite his resilient conclusion to 2025/26.
His promotion to first-choice meant Spurs were in the market for a true back-up this summer, and free agent Martin Dúbravka, who's been a solid Premier League goalkeeper throughout his career, is a fine addition.
We may dip our toe in the ’keeper market in January, depending on how Kinsky performs.
Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m) – B
Expecting Cristian Romero to eventually depart, Spurs proactively made a move for Jan Paul van Hecke, whom De Zerbi was partly responsible for developing into an excellent Premier League defender.
Daniel Levy believed the Lilywhites had had their "pants pulled down" by Brighton & Hove Albion, given that Van Hecke only had a year left on his contract, but the Dutchman's stellar campaign last time out meant the Seagulls were never going to let Van Hecke depart on the cheap. That's not how Tony Bloom rolls.
De Zerbi knew who he wanted, and Spurs did everything to appease the Italian. While I don't believe he's on Romero's level, if Van Hecke can replicate his best work on the south coast, then this will be a very useful signing.
Mateus Fernandes (£85m) – A
Tottenham batted off Manchester United for Mateus Fernandes' signature, and the Portuguese midfielder was only briefly the club's record signing.
Fernandes is a lovely footballer. While he's suffered back-to-back relegations with two different teams, the 22-year-old stuck out like a sore thumb for West Ham United last season. He can do it all, and supporters will quickly grow to love him. I have no doubts.
Sandro Tonali (£100m) – C
A value thing here.
I haven't bought into the Brescia conspiracy, although I wouldn't rule it out completely. Anyway, De Zerbi has already admitted we might not see the best of Tonali until his sophomore year, which has raised a few eyebrows.
Tonali may not be a £100m footballer, but that doesn't mean he's utterly useless. The midfielder is a beast in defensive transition, and far more adept with the ball than he's been given credit for. I'm sure Tonali will come good, but we're not going to see anything particularly spectacular.
Sávio (£85m) – B
The Omar Marmoush deal, while separate, rationalised the hefty fee we paid for Sávio.
Everyone's mocked the Brazilian's goal output at Manchester City, and there's no denying that this is an area that can be improved. However, it's been a very long time since Spurs had a winger boasting Sávio's cunning and guile.
He's pined for De Zerbi's project like no other, oddly desperate to star in Lilywhite. His enthusiasm shone through on debut, and assuming the price tag and weight of expectation doesn't drag him time, I expect Sávio to be a hit.
Omar Marmoush (Loan) – A-
While I'm not exactly sure what Omar Marmoush's best role is, I do know that he's a technically clean sharpshooter who obviously improves Spurs' frontline.
It was always going to be tough for Marmoush to thrive in Manchester, with the presence of Erling Haaland limiting the Egyptian's opportunities. He'll be allowed to develop a groove in North London, and that should hopefully allow the Eintracht Frankfurt iteration of the 27-year-old to re-emerge.
Mykhailo Mudryk (Loan) – D
From Cody Gakpo, to Iliman Ndiaye, to Mykhailo Mudryk. Sigh.
The Ukrainian has barely kicked a ball in two years due to a doping ban, and even when he was available for Chelsea, the winger seldom appeared to be of the requisite level. De Zerbi was at least the guy who got the best out of him at Shakhtar Donetsk, but this just reeks of Timo Werner and Randal Kolo Muani.
Tosin Adarabioyo (£10m) – D
My least favourite move of the window, and I do not care that he's chummy with Dominic Solanke. I hope Big Kev's okay.
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