For years, Tottenham's transfer strategy often felt reactive. A promising target would emerge, negotiations would drag, the asking price would rise and, more often than not, the opportunity would disappear.
This summer has been the complete opposite.
After flirting with relegation for much of last season before Roberto De Zerbi's arrival sparked a dramatic escape, Spurs have wasted little time trying to ensure they never find themselves in that position again.
The message from north London has been unmistakable. Survival was not enough. The club intend to build, and they intend to do it quickly.
The scale of the investment tells its own story. Sandro Tonali has arrived from Newcastle United in a deal worth around £100 million. Mateus Fernandes followed from West Ham for approximately £85m, while Jan Paul van Hecke joined from Brighton for £52m.
Combined with the experienced additions of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, Tottenham have already committed close to a quarter of a billion pounds to De Zerbi's first full summer in charge. It is comfortably the most aggressive transfer window of Daniel Levy's tenure.
That represents a remarkable shift in thinking.
When De Zerbi inherited the squad with seven league matches remaining, the objective was brutally simple: stay in the Premier League. Spurs did exactly that, collecting enough points over the closing weeks to finish two clear of the relegation zone after a final-day victory over Everton.
The football was not perfect, but there were unmistakable signs of a team rediscovering an identity. Possession returned. Confidence slowly followed. The mood around the club changed almost overnight.
Rather than treating survival as an excuse to stand still, Tottenham have chosen to treat it as a launching pad.
Tonali is the headline act. Few clubs fighting near the bottom of the table would even contemplate signing one of Europe's finest midfielders, let alone persuade him to join.
Yet De Zerbi's influence proved decisive.
The pair's relationship stretches back to their time in Italian football, and Tonali has openly acknowledged the manager's role in convincing him to move to north London. His arrival immediately transforms the midfield, providing the composure, tactical intelligence and competitive edge Spurs so often lacked last season.
Fernandes offers something different.
At 22, the Portuguese international combines relentless energy with technical quality and already looks tailor-made for De Zerbi's positional game. He can receive under pressure, progress possession through midfield and arrive in advanced areas without sacrificing defensive intensity.
And the fact Spurs fended off rival interest from Manchester United for his signature says everything about the waters the north London side are swimming in this summer.
Together with Tonali, Fernandes gives Tottenham a midfield capable of controlling matches rather than merely surviving them.
Van Hecke may prove every bit as important. De Zerbi knows exactly what he is getting after working with the Dutch defender at Brighton. Comfortable stepping into midfield with the ball, aggressive defending large spaces and capable of playing through opposition presses, he is almost a prototype De Zerbi centre-back.
Spurs conceded far too many avoidable goals last season, often because their defensive structure collapsed once opponents bypassed the first press. Van Hecke addresses that weakness immediately.
The spending may not be over.
Tottenham remain firmly interested in Savinho, whose direct running and one-against-one ability would add another dimension to De Zerbi's attack if Manchester City decide to sanction a sale.
Eli Junior Kroupi has also been a significant target, although reports suggest that pursuit has become increasingly complicated in recent weeks.
Even if one or both deals fail to materialise, the ambition behind them says plenty about the club's thinking. Spurs are targeting players who could improve Champions League teams, not merely help avoid another relegation scrap.
That ambition has not gone unnoticed inside the dressing room.
Micky van de Ven recently described the club's transfer business as evidence of a completely different mentality, highlighting how the investment reflects both belief in De Zerbi and a determination to restore Tottenham to the upper reaches of the Premier League.
It is exactly the sort of statement supporters have wanted to hear after two desperately disappointing seasons.
Of course, spending money guarantees nothing.
Chelsea have demonstrated often enough that assembling expensive footballers is considerably easier than moulding them into a coherent team. De Zerbi's methods are demanding, particularly in possession, and his ideas require patience.
There will inevitably be mistakes as players adapt to a system that asks them to take risks in dangerous areas of the pitch.
Yet this feels different because there is a clear footballing logic underpinning every major signing.
Tonali strengthens the engine room. Fernandes raises the technical ceiling. Van Hecke fits the tactical blueprint almost perfectly. Savinho and Kroupi, if either arrives, would add pace, unpredictability and long-term upside in attack.
These are not isolated opportunities. They are pieces of a carefully assembled puzzle.
So how high can Tottenham climb?
Repeating last season's survival fight should not even enter the conversation if this squad settles quickly.
A finish in the top half appears a realistic minimum expectation, while the race for European qualification suddenly looks far less fanciful than it did in May.
Tottenham trophy multiples (odds via Sky Bet)
- No Trophies - 1/5
- Win any of Premier League, FA Cup or League Cup - 7/2
Odds correct at 09:40 BST (28/07/26)
The gap between mid-table and the European places is rarely as vast as it appears, particularly when a club finds momentum and stability.
For the first time in a long while, Tottenham are behaving like a club that expects to move forwards rather than simply avoid going backwards.
That may not guarantee success, but it is a far healthier place from which to begin.
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