Tottenham Hotspur have a new look about them in the 2026/27 season.
Now the summer transfer window has closed, we can evaluate what has happened behind the scenes - it's best not to evaluate what's going on on the pitch too much after back-to-back defeats to start the season.
And, looking at it, there has been a major overhaul of the playing squad under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
After saving the club from relegation on the final day of the 2025/26 season, De Zerbi has set to work in the off-season putting his own stamp on the squad he inherited from the dismal reigns of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
Seventeen players have departed - some only temporarily - with ten new signings coming through the door. The corridors of Hotspur Way and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will look very different when it comes to the personnel walking them now.
After adding eight new signings before deadline day, Spurs rounded off the transfer window with two more, bringing in Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea, with an option to buy for £75million, and Tosin Adarabioyo, also from Chelsea for around £10million.
Mudryk was the final forward deal, with Spurs having tried and failed to prise Cody Gakpo away from Liverpool and then seeing Iliman Ndiaye make the move to Manchester City instead.
Everton and Spurs swap deal did not come off
Ndiaye had looked set to make the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Richarlison going the other way to Everton in a separate deal after moves were agreed. But it never materialised after the Brazilian could not agree terms on a move back to his former club.
Spurs moved for Mudryk instead and it remains to be seen whether or not that miss will hurt the Lilywhites in the long-term.
For De Zerbi, however, there is already a player in N17 who can do what Ndiaye does and probably even more, he just hasn't been able to call upon him yet.
That player, who will be like a new signing for the Italian when he is available, is Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swede had only just turned 25 when he last played for Tottenham on May 11, 2025. Now 26, he is finally back in first-team training with his teammates, posting an emotional statement on his Instagram page upon his return.
After 477 days I came back to full team training. Everything is impossible until is not. Want to see a miracle. Be one. See u soon.
De Zerbi will have to be careful when it comes to reintegrating the Swedish international back into his squad, following 16 months sidelines with a knee injury that was initially diagnosed simply as a knock, but when he is back to full match fitness and sharpness, he will be a huge asset in the Italian's forward line.
Kulusevski has pace, power and incredible close control, with the ability to make and score goals. Former Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou once called him a "monster", saying: "He’s got an unbelievable engine. The sheer amount of ground he covers in games while still maintaining his technical quality. He’s so adaptable. Whether he’s playing out wide or through the middle, he brings incredible energy, works relentlessly off the ball, and creates so much for the team."
As Postecolgou said, Kulusevski can play wide or can be deployed in the No.10 role, behind the main striker, showing his versatility and importance to the team.
Tottenham may feel like they missed out when it comes to Ndiaye, but Kulusevski can do everything Ndiaye can do and more, given his adaptability.