Tottenham's campaign has descended into minor chaos following Sunday's humiliating 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, leaving Thomas Frank fighting to get fans back on side.
The club are also simultaneously planning January recruitment, as confirmed by Frank himself, and the under-fire tactician may be in grave need of it.
The Dane's struggling side have managed just one victory across their last seven Premier League games, tasting six defeats from 16 to languish in mid-table.
Sunday's comprehensive loss at the City Ground represented arguably Frank's worst performance since arriving from Brentford, with his team thoroughly outplayed and managing only one shot on target in 90 minutes.
It is a far cry from where they want to be after winning the Europa League last season, and Spurs' lack of creativity going forward has been a key theme of their campaign at times.
Pressure continues mounting on Frank's shoulders despite the board publicly backing him.
ENIC and the Lewis family injected £100 million of fresh capital into the club in October, signaling their commitment to supporting the manager despite growing frustrations among supporters.
Frank has stated that Tottenham will "definitely" be active when the window opens, hoping for signings as early as possible.
Work apparently began immediately after September's deadline, with recruitment meetings establishing comprehensive target lists across every position.
However, wingers are rumoured to be the primary focus, despite Dominic Solanke's prolonged injury absence and inconsistent contributions from Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel.
Chief among their targets is Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Spurs have aggressively pursued the Ghanaian in recent days.
Now, TEAMtalk have shared just how far they're willing to go to win the race for his signature before Man City, Liverpool and Man United.
Tottenham now prepared to make Semenyo their highest-paid player
Indeed, it is now believed that Tottenham are prepared to shatter their wage structure in a bold attempt to secure the Cherries winger, even making him their highest-paid player.
Sources indicate Spurs have emerged as the "most active" suitor for the 25-year-old in recent days, with Frank viewing him as a potentially transformational addition to his struggling forward line.
Bournemouth have inserted a £65 million release clause into his deal which becomes active on January 1 — available only during a limited early-window period before dropping to £50 million next summer.
However, City remain the frontrunners despite Tottenham's financial firepower.
Pep Guardiola's side have maintained steady dialogue with Semenyo's representatives, with personal terms understood to be 'advanced'.
Liverpool continue monitoring developments closely, with Arne Slot an admirer of Semenyo's high-pressing capabilities. Man United have also made enquiries, but trail the leading trio in negotiations.
Bournemouth prefer retaining their standout performer until next summer when the reduced clause activates, though they accept a big-money exit is inevitable.
The club have already identified FC Basel's Philip Otele as a potential replacement should Semenyo depart, which looks increasingly likely as Spurs and their top-flight rivals up the ante.