It seemed as if Tottenham's midfield was complete by July 6, when the club completed a £100m move for Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali.
The Italian's arrival meant Mateus Fernandes was only briefly Spurs' record signing, having joined in a £85m deal from West Ham United the previous week.
An £185m outlay represented a revolution, with the days of João Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur consigned to history, even if the pair turned up when it mattered most down the stretch. Spurs decided not to sign Palhinha permanently, and Bentancur's absence from the preseason tour has raised speculation over his future.
Tonali and Fernandes will dominate the engine room next season, with the early signs this summer suggesting that the latter will develop as our metronomic No. 6, while Tonali could perform a versatile midfield role that'll see him dovetail with World Cup-winner Pedro Porro.
Spurs currently seem set at the position, but should Roberto De Zerbi oversee more midfield sales in the coming weeks, then we'll likely re-enter the market.
Spurs will re-enter the midfield market in the event of two departures
The Tottenham boss has assured that both Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr remain integral parts of his squad despite the pair missing out on the club's preseason tour down under. I'm simply not buying it, especially with Sarr.
There have been rumours suggesting the Senagelese international is up for sale, having had another season in Lilywhite that started strongly before petering out. He just hasn't come on as we thought he might, and we've reached the point where the parting of ways feels right for both parties.
Moreover, Lucas Bergvall is expected to leave in search of more first-term opportunities. There's Premier League interest in the Swede, who could be sold for as much as £50m. De Zerbi has already said that anyone who isn't "proud" to play for Spurs "has to leave."
While Bergvall has gone on tour, insider @szyexcl understands that the dynamic young midfielder is "still expected to go" this summer. The same goes for Sarr.
Moreover, they add that should Bergvall and Sarr depart, Spurs will mitigate their exits by signing another midfielder.
Now, the people want that to be Bournemouth's Alex Scott, who broke out gloriously last season and is a boyhood Tottenham fan. It's almost too good to be true.
We know that the Cherries don't want to sell, and although Spurs reportedly still have lots of cash spare, it's hard to envisage us completing a double swoop for Scott and Eli Junior Kroupi, who's our No. 1 striker target. The pair would set us back another £185m.
But, after all, this is a Spurs boasting newfound ambition. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
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