Tottenham had a good enough window ahead of a crucial season, although there is a feeling they might have left it a bit short in the end.

Tottenham once again went through a summer of change, following the club’s decision to sack Europa League-winning manager Ange Postecoglou. Daniel Levy took the call not based on the European Cup run, but their league form, where Spurs finished in 17th spot at the end of last season, which was unprecedented.

Levy wasted no time in installing Thomas Frank as the new man at the helm, and with that began a recruitment drive. Following a season muddled with injuries, Tottenham had to react, particularly after their Europa League Final win, which gave them a pass into the Champions League despite their dismal league finish.

Spurs spent heavily in this window to get to a level that allows them enough depth to contain two big competitions at the very least. There were plenty of quality players that came in, although Tottenham did miss out on a number of their key targets during the window.

While we won’t call their business a glowing success for now, there were a few level raisers that Frank got into the squad, although there were a few puzzling questions too at the end of the window. Here we take a quick look at Tottenham’s business during the summer to find out whether they had a successful summer or not.

Ins and Outs

Looking first into the outgoing business at Spurs, there were a few key rumours heading into the window, notably the future of skipper Son Heung-min. The South Korean featured during the tour of Asia in pre-season, but upon the team’s return to England, a deal was agreed with LAFC to let the captain leave.

Son left as a hero following the Europa League win that ensured Spurs ended their well-publicised trophy drought that lasted for 17 years. The surprising fact was that Spurs managed to get a sizeable fee from the MLS side for the South Korean, and he might have been their most significant sale of the summer.

As for permanent departures, Spurs only received modest sums for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after his loan was turned permanent by Marseille. They also managed to sell Bryan Gill to Girona for a modest sum, while there were five loan departures, mostly comprising young stars needing experience elsewhere, as well as Manor Solomon.

Meanwhile, Fraser Froster, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman were released after their contracts expired. Overall, Spurs’ outgoing business was not up to the mark, although they have done well to replace those departed stars.

Outs – Son Heung-min, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Bryal Gill

Loaned out – Alejo Veliz, Mikey Moore, Min-Hyeok Yang, Alfie Devine, Luka Vuskovic, Manor Solomon

Free Transfers – Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon, Alfie Whiteman

As for the incoming business, some notable names came through the door. Spurs managed to turn two loan deals into permanent moves with the likes of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso joining on long-term deals upon their six-month loan period from Bayern Munich and RC Lens, respectively.

Similarly, Vuskovic completed his permanent move from Hajduk Split, which was pre-agreed between the two clubs. They also bought young South Korean star Kota Takai from Kawasaki Front, who looks like a bet for the future.

The big moves happened at different stages of the window, which effectively began with the star acquisition of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United. This signing lifted the mood at Tottenham, and they were on the verge of bringing in Morgan Gibbs-White right after Kudus, but that move took a different turn with the player then signed a new deal at Nottingham Forest.

Frank had wanted a new holding midfielder, with early rumours pointing towards the manager not trusting Yves Bissouma. Hence, Spurs agreed a loan deal for Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich, and he has been a top signing so far.

There were some disappointments in terms of missing out on Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, but Tottenham took full advantage of the market late on to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig. The deal probably only materialised once Chelsea cooled their interest, given they had agreed terms with the Dutchman many weeks ago.

Spurs were expected to sign a new defender of some sort, but ended up signing Randal Kolo Muani on loan on deadline day, which does paint a strange picture given they already have two senior strikers at the club in Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

Ins – Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Luka Vuskovic, Kevin Danso, Kota Takai

Loan Transfers – Joao Palhinha, Randal Kolo Muani

Marquee Signing

Mohammed Kudus

There’s an argument to be had for the right player in this segment, although Kudus edges out Simons in that regard. The Ghanaian international has been a name revered for his talents furing his time at Ajax, and has proved to a certain degreee during his two seasons at West Ham United.

He has also had an instant impact on the side during the first two games of the season, which included the win over Manchester City away from home. Spurs lacked a presence out wide as well as someone to create things with a certain x-factor.

Kudus brings plenty of versatility to the side, as well as his ability to play in his own unique way. He will certainly strengthen the attacking setup, although there are plenty of things in his game that need developing. On paper, he certainly is Tottenham’s marquee signing of this window.

Value For Money Signing

Joao Palhinha

Palhinha arrived on loan, so it’s a little difficult to quantify his arrival based on the spend. Given his deal could have a sizeable buy option at the end of the season, so far, he has proved to be Tottenham’s value for money arrival to some degree.

Palhinha has made his presence felt in the Tottenham midfield, which has conceded just once in their three games so far, replicating the joint-best defence in the league alongside Arsenal. The Portuguese star was surplus to requirements at Bayern Munich despite his obvious qualities, which Levy took advantage of to bring him to north London.

He’s a much superior holding midfielder to someone like Bissouma, and has already fitted well in Frank’s system. There was an argument earlier that the new manager wanted Christian Norgaard from Brentford, and in many regards, Palhinha is much better than the Dane in the holding midfield role.

Inevitable departure

Son Heung-min

There was a feeling of inevitability about Son leaving the club following their Europa League win, and his exit happened after being a long-serving member of this Tottenham side. The former skipper’s power had begun showing weaknesses over the last many months, and secretly, many fans wanted the club to move on from the attacker.

With a year left on his deal, Levy did well in vetting a sizeable transfer fee in return, while the club have replaced him to an extent. It was certainly the right time for the South Korean to depart the club after many brilliant seasons. Emotionally, he will be missed by the Spurs faithful, but may not be from the sporting side.

The Big Miss

Morgan Gibbs-White

The pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White was not connected to the injury to James Maddison, as the club sought the England international much before that. They had reportedly triggered a release clause in his contract, but Nottingham Forest threatened legal action for how the north Londoners may have procured the information about the clause.

While Gibbs-White ended up signing an extension to his deal at Forest and ending speculations surrounding his immediate future, it was a big miss for Spurs, given Maddison’s season-ending injury later. He was originally seen as a competition for Maddison, and there’s an argument to be made if one considers Simons as a wide attacker that Spurs do not have a clear-cut attacking midfielder on their side.

Verdict – 7.5/10

There are mixed feelings about the summer window at Spurs, given they did bring in a lot of good players but also ended up missing out on some stars. Internally, the club did well to keep hold of Cristian Romero despite the heavy links with a move away, but they might feel a sale of Richarlison should have happened.

The likes of Kudus, Palhinha and Simons are level raisers to a certain degree, but Frank would have wanted another attacking midfielder as well as a wide attacker. Simons can play both those roles, but given the long season ahead, they could have helped themselves with another attacker.

On the sales part, there were not much apart from Levy’s shrewd work with the Son sale. Overall, the larger group stayed intact from last season, and certain improvements to the squad could probably help Tottenham fight for a top-four place as well as give them a chance to at least reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.