This was a Tottenham transfer window that was in one way very different to what had come before with some unprecedented hurdles but it also bore some of the trademarks of a classic summer at the club.
It was a summer when Spurs had more cooks in the kitchen than meals to prepare. There was a new head coach in Thomas Frank with his very particular requirements for ingredients, with technical director Johan Lange and head of scouting Rob Mackenzie trying to mix it all together, wrangling their data and reports into forming the perfect list of targets for the new Dane to go through and approve or cast aside.
Also in the Spurs kitchen cooking away was Fabio Paratici, the previously banned managing director of football who has been a consultant for the club before returning to an official role in the weeks ahead. The 53-year-old is said to work well with Lange with their different skillsets and different areas of expertise in the recruitment world.
There of course is also the chairman Daniel Levy and Tottenham's new CEO Vinai Venkatesham. Frank has namechecked them all this summer apart from Paratici, who is seen as more of an unofficial presence even if his seat next to Lange at the UEFA Super Cup match in Udine indicated his return to the front of house.
On top of all of that you can add CAA Base, the powerful agency that has a strong presence within Tottenham's first team and academy, and with a long-standing relationship with Levy.
With all of that, there have been a lot of different voices that all needed aligning behind what was best for Frank.
The change in manager had slowed things down as the new man needed to analyse his squad but he made it clear, as his predecessor Ange Postecoglou had, from the start that this window had to be about adding experience and crucially he wanted new signings to be improvements to the starting XI rather than squad fillers.
Last summer did not provide that for Postecoglou with only Dominic Solanke signed alongside a group of teenagers as Spurs attempted to refresh the squad.
This summer needed starting XI improvement and in that sense Tottenham succeeded. Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani all have the experience - they've all played in the Champions League - and the quality to be or become starters. Kota Takai was the only signing made with an eye towards the future more so than the now. Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern was also made permanent for a knocked down price.
Improving the starting XI has a knock-on effect in improving the squad and it's something that Spurs have not done enough over the years. The signing of Simons in particular was a coup and even had players inside Hotspur Way excited and asking staff about whether he had signed yet on the day he put pen to paper.
The 22-year-old Dutchman is a special player and can be used either as the No.10 that the squad is currently missing with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski's injuries or on the left wing following the departure of the club's previous No.7 - Son Heung-min.
The South Korean was the only player to tell Frank he wanted to leave when the Dane called the club's senior stars after his appointment.
There were plenty of phone calls when Frank first arrived. Some of his former Brentford players called to wish him good luck or he rang them to say his goodbyes. Some are believed to have indicated a wish to join him in north London while some were locked in to moves elsewhere.
One phone call that will also define this summer was the one of apology that Morgan Gibbs-White made to the Spurs boss after the messy saga involving that transfer chase ended with a shock new contract at Nottingham Forest.
Those who have worked within the club and football for decades have never seen a pursuit play out in the way that one did with the legal threats, a secret release clause that nobody knows whether it was truly met or not and two big Tottenham bids that ended up falling on deaf ears before a player who appeared set on joining Tottenham signed a new deal out of nowhere.
Gibbs-White was Frank's top choice for the No.10 role and he ticked every box of data for the position in his system. The new head coach had wanted him since his Wolves days and Spurs were convinced they were going to land the England international until the most unlikely of conclusions for a player who had resisted any new contract for almost a year.
Gibbs-White admitted himself in an interview recently that in the end he had to do the best for his then heavily-pregnant fiancée, who had to go into hospital with stress-related issues at one point. Thankfully the couple celebrated the birth of their son a few weeks later.
Losing out on Gibbs-White seemed to knock Tottenham for six and they scrambled for a top quality alternative, with the situation only made worse by Maddison's shock ACL injury in the final game of their Asia tour, an occasion meant to solely about Son's farewell in South Korea.
Yet Spurs did not move quickly, much to the frustration of the fanbase, as they sought to identify the right playmaker. They eventually got wind that Arsenal were pulling back on Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze and sensed an opportunity to strike for a long-time target and Base client, even though there was an awareness that if the Gunners did enter the arena then it was game over.
What was needed was a quick conclusion. It was anything but as Levy and Palace chairman Steve Parish just could not agree on the structure of the deal and the add-ons. When Tottenham eventually gave in and agreed to the Eagles' terms it was too late, Arsenal had begun their approach and Eze, a boyhood Gunners fan and academy player, only had eyes on one destination.
It was an embarrassing moment for Spurs and the fans' frustration boiled over when it came to a window that appeared to promise plenty but had offered relatively little compared to their big spending rivals around the summit of the Premier League.
Levy had made a big declaration that he wanted Tottenham to win the Premier League and Champions League and sacked Postecoglou because he wanted to compete in all competitions, not just one or two. There was little evidence though that Spurs were providing a squad to make those words anything more than just a pipe dream.
There were frustrations as well with another of Frank's top targets - Manchester City's Savinho. Tottenham were willing to spend big money on him and the 21-year-old wanted to come, knowing he would start week in, week out in a World Cup year. Yet there was a split inside City over selling the player and whether they were risking another Cole Palmer situation.
An approach for Como's Nico Paz was a non-starter because Real Madrid have a right to match any bid for him as well as other various clauses and the 20-year-old dreams of returning to the club he came through at and they intend to make that happen in a future window.
Then a name on the club's list suddenly switched from unavailable to very much available but it had to happen fast. Chelsea were stalling on Simons and Spurs struck. The player was sold on the project with an impressive presentation by Frank, while he knew people at Hotspur Way in former PSG team-mate Wilson Odobert and international colleague Micky van de Ven.
Unlike the painfully drawn-out talks with Palace, the negotiations with RB Leipzig were swift and within 48 hours the player had undergone his medical and signed a big deal, the longest in Spurs' history of five years with an option for another two.
It was a show of faith in the superstar Tottenham believe the player can become and a show of belief from him in the project he was joining. That the club shop outside the stadium had hour-long wait times for shirt printing the morning after his signing said plenty about the fans' excitement.
There were other successes in the window at the club with captain Cristian Romero penning a welcome new four-year deal. That was a major boost to the rest of the squad and Djed Spence was also rewarded for his fine form with a new deal.
There will rightly be criticisms that Spurs left too much of their business until late as normal, albeit some of it dictated by that early Gibbs-White blow.
They were left scrambling on deadline day for the final parts of the jigsaw. Frank had wanted another winger and a left-sided centre-back to cover the potential unavailability in the position that came last season and rocked the club.
That proved the most difficult deal to be done though in the final weeks. They could not find the required quality of player who was willing to come to the club and play second fiddle to Romero and Van de Ven when they were both fit. A player like Manuel Akanji for instance would find little merit in swapping City's bench for Tottenham.
In the end they decided to stick rather than twist on any player beneath the level Frank wanted. Eighteen-year-old summer arrival Luka Vuskovic had been given the choice to go out on loan with a long list of others from the academy if he wanted or remain as cover for the cups.
The Croatian took the opportunity to go to Hamburg, where his brother Mario played, and admitted with brutal honesty in an interview with Germanijak: "Yes, they offered me an option to stay, to play in case of injury or cup matches, but I wanted continuous minutes.
"They have Romero and Van de Ven playing there, two of the best centre-backs in the world at the moment. I believe in myself, but it's really difficult to play next to them. I've faced them and I realised that I still have to work harder. A lot of work and a little luck, so I'll be back."
Then there was the final attacking player. Frank and Tottenham had to decide whether they truly believed they could yet get Savinho in a future window and if so was it worth bringing in a permanent player instead in the role?
Ademola Lookman was offered to Spurs on numerous occasions during the window as he was to most other clubs but the north London outfit and nobody else took up the offer.
Then with Juventus unable to agree a return for Kolo Muani, so the 26-year-old France international suddenly came back on to Spurs' radar after previous attempts to sign him.
A straight loan deal was agreed quickly with PSG, thanks to the two clubs' hierarchies having a strong relationship. It was a distinctly un-Spurs like deal though to sign someone and help develop them without the prospect of keeping them permanently but it also showed the need to improve this season and some might suggest a desperation to bring in one more important player.
With Solanke's ankle continuing to be a problem, Kolo Muani will offer competition for the England international and the injury-prone Richarlison while also bringing the versatility to play on both flanks.
Frank needs plenty of attacking options for the now. Kulusevski will be months yet in returning to the fold as he rehabilitates following his patella surgery. The Swede is set to return towards the end of 2025 and potentially not until December, barring a quicker than expected recovery.
There were a few late exits with Bryan Gil finally leaving the club after four years as one of Paratici's failures, in a €10million (£8.6million) transfer to Girona. There were more last-gasp exasperations in dealing with Palace as a deal sheet was entered for a loan move for Manor Solomon after Spurs had agreed to their terms, only for the Eagles to pull out.
Tottenham reacted quickly though to instead tie up a loan to Villarreal before the later La Liga deadline for the Israel international, who has played just six times for Spurs in two years.
Moves were not found for Yves Bissouma or young academy striker Dane Scarlett, but various windows remain open across Europe for the duo to potentially find a late move.
In all Tottenham improved their squad and most importantly their first team but question marks will remain over how quickly they acted and how much they really pushed financially.
A table of spending taken from FootballTransfers.com has Spurs as having spent £181million this summer and recouping £36million, but that spending total includes the obligation to make Kevin Danso's loan a permanent one from Lens for £21million.
Nottingham Forest spent £205million according to the list, Manchester United - Tottenham's vanquished Europa League final opponents - splashed out £216million, Newcastle £250million albeit offset by that Isak sale, while Arsenal paid out £255million, Chelsea spent £285million but made a profit as required by UEFA thanks to £288million in sales.
Top of it all are the champions Liverpool who paid out a remarkable £415million, while bringing £187million back through the doors.
There are two things to take from that list. One is that Spurs are horrendous sellers of players compared to other clubs and that also the team that finished in 17th place in the Premier League last season has not spent enough overall to close the gap to the big boys.
They have, however, added four players of top drawer quality, which is not the norm in a Tottenham window, and believe Frank can coach the full potential out of many of the existing ones. That the Dane was also very particular in what he wanted resulted in those signings but also decisions being made on who to pass on.
He did not get all of his top choices. For instance after quickly identifying the team needed a proper No.6, his top choice and long-time player Christian Norgaard was not available as the Dane had his heart set on Arsenal. Yet Palhinha was always accepted as a very strong second choice on the list and has proved to be exactly that.
Antoine Semenyo was a strong wing candidate but at £70million was at a price level a few clubs baulked at and he signed a new contract with the south coast club. Spurs moved ahead of Chelsea for Kudus who has impressed everyone inside the club since his £55million arrival.
The squad is still bloated in certain areas and the lack of club-trained players means Frank will have to leave six senior players out of his Champions League squad when it is submitted this evening. There are going to be a smattering of hearts broken on Spurs' return to the biggest competition in the club game.
It has been a summer of broken hearts though as well as new relationships at Tottenham. It has been a time of learning as all the new staff get to know each other and that has been reflected in a transfer window that has often felt opportunistic rather than meticulously planned.
It has been a summer of success, failures, phone calls and frustrations at what might have been but Spurs believe they have come out of the other side with a stronger starting XI and therefore a stronger squad. The coming months will decide whether they truly did enough to help Frank truly compete.
