Tottenham Hotspur fell by the wayside last season, but they picked themselves back up when on the road in Europe and managed to win the Europa League.
It was quite a feat, with Ange Postecoglou securing himself some poetic justice after promising silverware right at the start of the season, unaware of the landslide in form that was forthcoming in the Premier League.
Though Tottenham finished 17th in the top flight, they struggled against an incredible amount of injuries that knocked Postecoglou's vision so far away from course, and that ultimately led to his dismissal as a trophy-winning hero.
With Thomas Frank now at the helm, Spurs are ready to springboard toward new heights, using last season as a foundation for a sustained period of success.
However, despite adding Mohammed Kudus to the wings, joining from West Ham United for £55m, and reinforcing the midfield with the initial loan signing of Bayern Munich's Joao Palhinha, the Lilywhites want more.
Spurs' outstanding summer transfer plans
James Maddison's knee injury will see him sidelined for the majority of the imminent campaign. It's a cruel blow, and it has added emphasis on the need for a creative midfielder, with Dejan Kulusevski still recuperating from an injury too.
However, with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur both anticipated to be leaving the club this summer, it's not out of the question that Frank adds a deeper-lying midfielder to his ranks, even after signing Palhinha.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton has been earmarked as a long-term option for the Tottenham midfield, but the Eagles man will be hard to sign.
However, there's another Premier League talent who has entered technical director Johan Lange's radar.
Spurs lining up another midfielder
According to Caught Offside, Tottenham have joined the long list of clubs interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba this month.
The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the Premier League's brightest talents, and the Seagulls have no intention to sell, having priced their midfielder at a jaw-dropping £104m.
Manchester United have already made their intentions known in the last week and have started direct contacts with the player's camp as they look to pull off a sensational August signing.
However, Tottenham boast the allure of Champions League football, and could offer him a starring role, should their aforementioned midfielders be sold.
Why Spurs should sign Carlos Baleba
Tottenham need to add not just quantity but quality to their ranks this summer. Signings not for the sake of signing but for the graduation from one level to another, restoring a place among the big hitters on the Champions League stage and challenging for more silverware.
Baleba could be that player, having had a profound impact on Brighton's football over the past two seasons, with analyst Ben Mattinson singling him out as a "one-of-a-kind" midfielder.
Though this is a physical beast of a player with a clear skill for protecting the backline and flying in with crunching challenges, he's also a progressive and technically sharp midfielder, ranked among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
He also knows his way around a thunderous strike, winning the Premier League Goal of the month for April 2025 after a powerful late winner against West Ham United.
His completeness in the middle of the park and underrated passing range, having completed 88% of his passes in the Premier League last season, could lead Baleba to prove an even better signing for Frank's side than Wharton, whose deep-lying elegance for Crystal Palace has led journalist Henry Winter to declare him a "passing machine".
As per Sofascore, Wharton also brought firm defensive roots to the table in the Premier League last year, averaging one interception and 1.7 tackles per game, but he also missed a large chunk of the season due to a groin injury, ultimately starting only 16 times in the top flight.
Given the defensive woes that Tottenham endured under Ange's wing last season, it's crucial that the midfield raises its level and eases the pressure on the defenders.
The tough-tackling Palhinha will help in that regard, to be sure, but then Palhinha is 30 years old, almost a decade Baleba and Wharton's senior.
Given that the marquee buy would cross the £100m threshold, it's obvious that Frank and Levy would expect the player to cement themselves as one of the finest in the division across so many years. And given that Baleba has more of an all-encompassing profile about him, bringing it all together, it might just be that he's the perfect player to replace the likes of Bissouma and Bentancur.
Content creator Ryan Adsett has hailed the Cameroon international as a "powerhouse", who has also displayed a remarkable degree of intelligence, reading the game like a scholar and positioning himself just so.
His engine and strength would charge Frank's system for an age, and if Spurs truly are in the running, they must get this one done.