Thomas Frank is carefully assembling his squad ahead of his debut campaign with Tottenham.
The Dane has officially been in charge of Spurs for almost a month, but has only had the opportunity to see the majority of the players up close for the first time over the last week as they return from their holidays.
Pre-season training will give the new manager a better insight into what players need to be brought in and let go this summer.
Nevertheless, Tottenham have conducted some early business in the transfer window, and Frank could already be ruing one decision following a recent development.
Damola Ajayi scores on Doncaster Rovers debut
Part of Frank’s remit this summer is to offload several players, with the likes of Richarlison and Yves Bissouma set to leave Tottenham.
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The 51-year-old must also decide on the futures of the younger players in his squad, many of whom are academy graduates who have returned to Hotspur Way following their loan spells.
Frank has already made some headway as he recently greenlighted Alejo Véliz’s return to Rosario Central.
Earlier in his tenure, he allowed Damola Ajayi to join Doncaster Rovers on loan for the season, despite the youngster scoring on his senior debut in the UEFA Europa League against IF Elfsborg last season.
The 19-year-old repeated the trick with the Rovers, scoring on his first appearance in pre-season (8 July) against Alfreton Town.
For a player with so much promise, it was a surprise that the call to send him out on loan was made so early. The decision could turn out to be Frank’s first mistake at Tottenham if Ajayi proves he could have been an asset to Spurs this season.
Spurs need better returns from loan deals
Spurs have not had the best success with loan deals, as they often fail to work out in the long run.
Players being loaned back to the club from which they were signed, such as Destiny Udogie returning to Udinese and Pape Matar Sarr staying at Metz, have shown to bear fruit.
More recent cases, such as Véliz, Bryan Gil, and Dane Scarlett, have not had the same success, which is an issue that Tottenham needs to address.