Tottenham Hotspur are enduring another testing, taxing campaign, but Thomas Frank is adamant that his project is coming together, and that without time, Spurs will be stuck in an endless purgatorial cycle.
But improvements are needed, for sure. The 2025 annual Premier League table emphasises Tottenham's struggles, having achieved only 36 points from 36 matches. A point-per-game rate is shocking, and needs to change going forward.
Years of negligent squad planning have Spurs in a tailspin, though the triumph in the Europa League final last season has set the foundation for a potentially prosperous chapter.
Outside help is needed, and Frank has the backing of the board. Any number of positions could be targeted, but the north Londoners clearly need more creativity after a blunt first half of the season.
Spurs targeting attacking signing
Tottenham parted with Heung-min Son last summer, the club legend having done his duty and returned silverware to N17 after a decade of service. Two years earlier, Harry Kane left.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
A talismanic, potent force is needed. Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo has been on the long-term list, but it looks like he's going to Manchester City. However, with Brennan Johnson edging toward a January move to Crystal Palace, a right-sided forward is needed.
Tottenham have earmarked alternatives, with TEAMtalk revealing that AS Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche is someone they are exploring, though reservations are harboured over the battle ahead, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain interested.
Valued at £40m, the 23-year-old Akliouche would be a more cost-effective signing than Semenyo, and he might even have more potential than the Premier League's hottest commodity.
Why Akliouche could be a superstar for Spurs
Frenchman Akliouche has been on the fast track to prominence with Monaco over the past several years, instrumental on the right flank for the Ligue 1 this season, posting three goals and five assists.
Akliouche is more of a playmaking winger than someone like Semenyo - and Son for that matter - but this could actually pay dividends for a Spurs side who have lacked clarity and dynamism in the build-up.
As per Sofascore, he has already created seven big chances in the French top flight, and having averaged 5.3 ball recoveries per game, he has the energy and drive to promote Frank's hard-working philosophy too.
With sights set on landing a high-class centre-forward at some stage too, this might be a fantastic signing for Frank's system, with Akliouche boasting a "left foot made of gold", as has been said by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
And while he lacks the clinical edge of Son and Semenyo, his athleticism and natural wellspring of creativity do underline his potential to become a superstar in north London.
Analyst Ben Mattinson has praised him for his "ridiculous" technical quality, and this is exactly the kind of progressive signing that Tottenham need to make to achieve balance and fluency in the final third while maintaining a combativeness that will plug holes over leaky defensive areas.
Ultimately, Tottenham need to make a series of signings to return to the ascendancy, but by landing Akliouche, a winger with the potential to make the fans forget all about Semenyo, they would be taking a strong step in the right direction.