This summer has already been a fascinating one in terms of the transfer moves made by Premier League clubs. 

Crystal Palace signed Paris Saint-Germain’s French international midfielder Yohan Cabaye. 

Stoke City agreed a fee for Inter Milan’s Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri. That ambitious move failed, but the Potters did manage to pick up Ibrahim Afellay. 

Further up England’s food chain, Liverpool and Manchester United have been active, while Chelsea and Manchester City have also brought in some big names. 

In isolation, Tottenham’s moves have been productive. 

The sales of Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, Benjamin Stambouli and Younes Kaboul streamlined Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad, while the additions of Kieran Trippier, Kevin Wimmer and Toby Alderweireld are so sensible that they were described as “not Tottenham” in the Guardian.

Long-suffering Spurs fans will see the joke and will be pleased to see their club moving away from such an unfortunate, if well-deserved, reputation. 

Emmanuel Adebayor’s move to Aston Villa now seems to be a certainty after he was spotted at the Midlands club’s training ground, according to Sky Sports.

Vlad Chiriches also appears poised to exit White Hart Lane after the Daily Mail confirmed he had arrived at his Napoli medical. 

Aaron Lennon has been rumoured to be returning to Goodison Park (via the Mirror), where he enjoyed a successful loan spell last summer. Meanwhile, Roberto Soldado appears to be the subject of one of the least likely bidding wars in football history, with three La Liga clubs keen on his signature, according to the Daily Mail.

A summer that could see the departure of as many as eight fringe players should be, and is, cause for celebration in north London, but Spurs are playing a dangerous game. 

Should all the proposed departures take place, Spurs will have a squad of just 23 players. 

This includes the untested Dele Alli and Alex Pritchard, the unreliable Mousa Dembele and the seemingly unready Tom Carroll. 

Tottenham’s first team is strong and their substitutes are adequate, but there is little else beyond that. 

Even an average amount of injuries would be disastrous. 

The club are reportedly working on remedying this issue.

Everton‘s reportedly “disillusioned” James McCarthy could be on the way, according to the Mirror. So could Saido Berahino, despite ex-Baggies boss Alan Irvine’s insistence that he is “not ready” for the step up. 

The signing of an able assistant to Harry Kane should have been Spurs’ first priority this summer. The young Englishman is brilliant but cannot be expected to hit the 30-goal mark in consecutive seasons. 

His output will almost inevitably fall in the coming campaign, so Spurs must find other sources of goals. There has been little obvious progress in that direction, though.

The Telegraph reported several days ago that a Tottenham delegation had headed to Germany in search of talent with Timo Werner, Christoph Kramer and Sven Bender all reportedly being targeted. 

If Spurs were to pull off the signing of Berahino, Kramer or Bender, their starting lineup would inevitably change. 

With the season getting under way in little more than a week, Spurs are in danger of kicking off their campaign with an incomplete squad. 

Pochettino is a manager with a specific vision, and players take even longer than usual to adapt to his style. 

Tottenham’s rivals arguably stole a march on them during this summer’s transfer window. 

While Spurs were able to shed much of the so-called “deadwood” and make some key improvements to their defence, Liverpool and Manchester United took great leaps forward. 

Tottenham may be rewarded for their persistence.

Their starting lineup against United on the opening day could be identical to the side that played in the League Cup final against Chelsea in March. 

Spurs spent much of last season developing their squad, and the blossoming of partnerships and chemistry was their reward. 

Cohesion will beat superior talent more often than not, but Spurs’ late-window moves could throw even that advantage away. 

Spurs have taken a risk by not making any major signings, but they could be taking an even greater one if they do end up making significant late moves. 

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