The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - THE BIG POST MORTEM

[robotsonic]

It feels like a 7/10 window with how the end dragged out and that we're still a couple light, but I'm happy with the signings made and I'm very concious that it's more the feeling than the reality of it. If Bissouma, Lenglet and Spence can bed in and contribute to the level they're capable of then it rapidly becomes a 9/10 window as we'll have improved what's on the pitch fantastically, it's just that we've barely seen them kick a ball in anger thus far and so don't feel the weight of their contribution as yet in totting up a rating. Richarlison and Perisic have already shown what they're able to bring to the team, and it's all good things, so A+ for getting those lads in.

 

[Leroy]

I say great window considering our previous. All u guys wanting another RWB without seeing how Spence gets on? SC never satisfied

 

[Tezza1978]

8 out of 10 for me. Strengthened in the key areas. Richarlison, Peresic and Bissouma are going to be fantastic players for us and I think Lenglet could surprise a lot of people too. LCB is clearly one for January or next summer as the right player couldn't be got over the line and Conte would rather wait than buy a weaker option. Another AM or a RWB would have been nice but realistically they would only have been been an option as a late sub/in cup games while we still have Moura. Worth giving Gil some minutes too this season.

 

[Leroy]

Thanks to the mods for a brilliant run site and Trix, Herc, WLB and H88 for the info much appreciated

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Isn't that what Lenglet was billed as? I've not seen enough of him but that was how he was decribed.

It's not the one they wanted so it doesn't count?

 

[coysjod]

The one thing I care about now is if Conte is happy and will trust the squad. One one side Gil and Tanganga have had a preseason with the team and will know Contes demands, on the other side that doesn’t help much if Conte doesn’t trust them to come in and do the job. Any last minute panic buys would have been a lottery so maybe better the devil you know?

 

[Aphex]

I feel it's too early at this stage to accurately rate our window, as we will have to look back at say Xmas time and see which signings have made an impact.

I mean, Richarlison and Perisic are a given, they already are making an impact. Bissouma we know is a top class PL CM so I am sure he will get there too, but we've yet to see it.

For me the issues are at CB and RWB. They were the key positions back in the spring which everyone agreed were the priorities. Yet we signed a Barcelona back up who at the moment can't even get a look in in front of Davies, who I am sorry is just an average CB. Then we have Emerson who whilst is a solid player, is not the right fit for RWB. We signed a prospect who Conte didn't actually want, it was a club signing. For the two key signings of the window, that isn't good enough.

Now Lenglet may prove to be a good signing, but he's only on a loan. So it's hard to get excited about this guy either way. The fact that he can't displace Davies is for me a worry. It's all well and good saying we wanted Bastoni, but if he's not available you need to move on to other top targets, but we don't seem to have any.

Now the issue I have with our window, is that Conte's system needs a very specific profile of player to work, and in two key positions at LCB and RWB we have failed to deliver. It is imperative that we have an excellent ball playing LCB in the system, and a top attacking threat at RWB and we've signed neither as it stands. For me, our defence is still below elite level to see us properly challenging for trophies.

I also feel we missed a trick by not signing a creative midfielder to offer something different, and we sorely needed another rotation option for Kulu.

We also failed to sell players.

I can't rate this window any higher than a 7/10. If Lenglet comes good that could go higher in the future.

For me, we really did the bare minimum I'd expected. I'd have rated it a 6 but there is a bonus point for doing business early and I think getting good value on the deals, especially Bissouma.

I am not blaming the club if we couldn't sign our top choices, but this is about rating the window. It is about what we did do, not what we tried to do but couldn't do for various reasons. We have to deal with the facts in front of us, and for me this window didn't deliver enough. It will be interesting to see how Conte feels, because I have a feeling he expected and wanted more. Compared to our rivals, I think we've done enough to tread water, but we haven't had the window that made a statement that we mean business.

Now it's over to Conte and the coaches to see if he can deliver a masterpiece this season, but on the basis of the games so far, we still lack quality options in attack and defence.

 

[skiba]

For me the biggest holes in our squad that needed addressing this summer were RWB, LWB, CM, CF and LCB which we have done albeit with varying degrees success.

I think Richarlison, Bissouma and Perisic are all fantastic additions. Perisic has been one of the best performing LWB in Europe for the last couple of years and worked with the manager before. Bissouma has performed consistently well in this league for some time now and considering his links to many of the top 6 is real coup and steal at £25m. Richarlison again is PL proven and fits the profile in being able to provide cover for both the CF and WF positions allowing plenty of game time instead of just being a Kane back up who will get limited minutes. Both he and Perisic have already had a positive impact on the team and I'm confident all three will be successes here.

Spence and Lenglet are more wildcards where ideally I would have preferred more ready made quality. Saying that I haven't seen many top quality RWB move this summer and the only other suggestions that the hive mind of SC seemed to be able to come up with was Hakimi so a punt on a player like Spence who possesses attributes none of our other RWBs offer makes sense with the cards we were dealt this summer. We may not have the quality we all wanted but we're certainly not short of bodies in this area. I think Lenglet is top class on the ball and has many of the attributes we want from a Conte LCB. There are question marks over the defensive side of his game but hopefully in a back 3 and with Contes coaching ability he could prove to be a very astute bit of business.

In some ways I think the success of this window hinges on the contributions from Spence and Lenglet. If they can make a positive impact on the first team then your looking at 5 successful signings. If they don't then your looking at only three where two of these in Bissouma and Richarlison add depth rather than significant upgrades to positions in the first 11 (although I do think Bissouma has the ability to become our best CM).

I think the squad could still have done with another CB and WF/AM however I think these positions were lower down the list and dependent on the right player becoming available and securing outgoings of the unwanted players.

All in all a good window on the face of it and it was refreshing to see us get a lot business done early for once. We were all worried that Conte wouldn't be backed and we wouldn't get the players in for pre season but we did. The manager looks happy, the squad seem settled and we've made our best PL start for some time so hats off to the recruitment team on that front.

 

[DogsOfWar]

Richarlison, Perisic, and Bissouma have already shown they've got enough to start so that's a 7/10 for me already.
The rest depends on what Forster, Lenglet and Spence can do.
Even if they only allow us to still be competitive whilst rotating I'd add another 1/10, if they become starters by the end of the year it's a 9/10.

 

[spursn17]

6/10 window for me, need improvement at LCB, RWB and ideally an AM to allow us to change tactics...

 

[spurs mental]

Very pleased with how we've progressed the squad.

It was never going to be complete or all done in one window. There were just too many issues.

I would have liked to see another midfielder who can progress us forward a bit quicker or a ball carrier/creative outlet come in, or cover for Dier but obviously what was on offer didn't suit or match the attributes Conte and Paratici were looking for, or the deals were complicated based on who we were dealing with. (Inter, Roma)

7/10 window. Got signings in and early, which every man and their dog has asked for. There was a plan and it was executed.

Levy has stayed away for the most part, Spence aside, and it's helped no end obviously.

 

[SurreySpur82]

Great window for me. Only real negative is the fact we couldn't sell any deadwood and they all had to go on loan. Can't help the fact that all of Europe (except Barca) seem skint.

At least we had the cash injection upfront as if we had to sell to buy like previous years then we would have had a window like Leicester.

 

[spids]

I'd rate this window as a very solid 8/10.

• We signed multiple high quality players.
• We signed players early and they (Spence apart) all got a full pre-season.
• We backed Conte with the players he wanted.

To get from an 8 to a 10 we'd have needed:

• A first team upgrade (Perisic equivalent e.g. Hakimi) at RWB (but maybe that will be Spence)
• A top drawer LCB (Bastoni / Gvardiol).
• Another attacking player who is an upgrade on Moura and Gil to provide competition for Kulusevski.

I think some of those who are not happy with the window are probably more unhappy because of a combination of:

• Arsenal's start to the season (very easy fixtures)
• Chelsea's spending (when we thought they were fucked)
• Conte's system / tactics (if Conte had wanted a ball playing, playmaker in CAM I am sure we would have signed one)

Lastly, I think the there is a psychological down side for some fans with us getting players in early. To some people it's a bit like getting your Christmas presents on 1st December and when Christmas Day arrives (i.e. the last days of the transfer window) there is no excitement and no new toys. If we'd signed Perisic or Richarlison yesterday a lot of Spurs fans would be a lot happier today.

Conte, a truly world class manager, has been here less than a year, Paratici just over a year, and in that time we've signed Romero, Perisic, Spence, Udogie, Bissouma, Bentancur, Kulusevski and Richarlison, and Son signed a new 4 year contract. We're unbeaten in 5 games this season, 8 points up on corresponding fixtures last year, avoided defeat in two of our toughest away games (Chelsea and West Ham), despite not getting out of second gear. I am very happy with the direction we are going in.

 

[robbiedee]

I think it's been a bloody good window. Got players in early that Conte wanted, got players out (eventually) that Conte wanted gone.

Yeah we didn't get everyone we wanted but I think that was more about resistance from either the players or the clubs to come over us not wanting to pay the money.

Still - regardless of how any of us rate this summers transfer activity, we won't know how good a window it was until Paul Merson has graded us on Sky Sports

Big thank you to @Trix @Hercules @What Lies Beneath @Hotspur88 for the info they were able to share. And Thanks to @dovahkiin and anyone else for posting and collating all the other ITK snippets we had this summer.

COYS

 

[Timberwolf]

Feel like everything I could say about the window has already been said. 7/10 window for me.

To provide a bit of perspective just wanted to note that, for everyone who moaned about our rivals doing more business over the past week, we were still the 4th biggest spenders in the Prem:

Chelsea: 278m
Man Utd: 227m
West Ham: 179m
Spurs: 172m

Also worth bearing in mind Chelsea were largely replacing a slew of players they lost, while United MASSIVELY overpaid for both Antony and Casemiro, while still failing to bring in a striker of any kind.

On deadline day hardly anyone did anything and Arsenal, notably, didn't get the backup CM they really needed, so it's not like we were the one club treading water while everyone else went gangbusters.

Not trying to say our window was perfect (it obviously wasn't) but it's not like every other club solved all of their problems while we stood still.

 

[Dave1882]

I think its a pretty good window.

If the signings had been staggered out and not all come relatively early, i think people wouldn't be feeling a bit disappointed on how things went yesterday.

I feel we're 3 players away RB, CB, AM, so hopefully can address that in the next 2 windows.

It's clear there's v little money outside the EPL at the moment, which is naturally going to cause us difficulties, when cannot raise additional funds due to so many players being out on loan.

It'll be interesting what if any part Sarr & Gill play now...i think Tanganga will have to come in, as we're lightest at the back on right hand side

 

[Steffen]

Solid window for me. Would've liked to have that new signing dopamine injection on deadline day, but that's more on me being a ITK-junkie.

 

[Darth Vega]

Good window overall.

Two things stuck out for me:

1) It's the first time I think I've ever seen us buy before we sold (aside from 08/09 when Redknapp came in and we were fighting relegation for a bit)
2) We got the majority of the signings in by pre-season or at least early in the pre-season

Of the players we did sign, it sounds like we got most of our top targets too (Richy, Perisic, Bissouma) with the exception of the LCB, which is also a rarity for us.

I think the issues that we're currently seeing with our performances are largely to do with the system and the squad not being utilised properly and I think that's souring the view of the window a little bit. I think as time goes on and Lenglet, Spence and Bissouma integrate properly our performances will improve and the window will be looked upon more favourably, whereas at the moment we're all questioning just how much the first team has been improved and not just the squad. This could obviously go the other way and Lenglet and Spence turn out to be crap but I'm optimistic they'll both make a good impact over the season, Lenglet in particular.

There are absolutely a couple of areas that we look fragile in but I don't think there's a single squad in the league that isn't in a similar position; Liverpool's midfield options are tragic for a club of their size; City only have three full-backs across both flanks; Arsenal's central midfield depth is shockingly bad and they have no recognised back-up for Saka that isn't a child; Chelsea have too many holes to mention - it goes on.

As long as we continue to have a strategy and back Paratici and Conte financially then there's no reason why we can't finish off what's left of the rebuild of the entire squad in January and beyond, but there is now increased pressure on those windows to fill in the missing pieces.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

I'm happy with the transfer window. A Kulu back up would have been great but I feel with Richarlison/Lucas/Gil there is enough in reserve for Conte to make do until January.

Other teams have spent more money but there is no telling that those signings will be successful. This is the mistake fans make. They judge a successful window on big names and money spent rather than if the player fits the teams needs. By all accounts Conte is happy with how we've operated and that is the only thing that counts. We've filled most of the holes that he identified in the team. And despite what other teams have done our biggest strength is having Conte as coach. I'm very confident we'll have better seasons than Man U/Arsenal/Chelsea. Then we can really start to build towards a title challenge next season.

 

[cjsimba]

If Conte is happy to integrate and play Spence then I think it's been a great window as the wing backs were the key position to improve upon for Conte's system.

If Spence is truly just seen as a club signing rather than a Conte signing then I feel we're a bit short on what I expected.

Need another CB and RWF to finish the squad and I hope we can tie those up quickly in Jan.