The January transfer window came and went and certainly won't live long in the memories of most Premier League supporters, with a gross collective expenditure of £100m a stunning £715m lower than 2023's gargantuan outlay.
Tottenham Hotspur, however, will be happier than most after chairman Daniel Levy addressed key areas of concern with the £27m defensive deal for Radu Dragusin and the astute loan addition of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, buy option of £15m inserted.
Ange Postecoglou has won over the Spurs support with his forthright disposition and quick-witted humour, marrying such idiosyncratic traits with an attractive and effective ideology that has pushed last year's malaise into the background – the fight for top four is very much on.
Saturday's 2-2 draw against Everton on Merseyside allowed Aston Villa to reclaim fourth spot after a rampant victory over Sheffield United but Spurs remain in a good position, two points behind, nursing just one defeat from eight top-flight games and seeing a host of influential stars return to fitness over recent weeks.
The lack of depth has been the core of the problems this term, and while Richarlison is in red-hot form at centre-forward right now – scoring nine in his last ten games – Harry Kane was not directly replaced last summer and the end of the campaign will surely focus on signing a new striker.
There were certainly murmurings last month…
The striker Tottenham wanted to sign
Several names were touted throughout January but Tottenham pressed to alleviate issues elsewhere and clearly trust the current attacking crop to see the year through.
Richarlison and Son are both in double-digits in the Premier League this season and Tottenham are the first team to see two players reach this total.
Nonetheless, a new focal frontman is desired and it looks like Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke is one of the top targets, with reports towards the end of January detailing a potential last-gasp swoop from Spurs.
The Cherries were unwilling to do business last month but are bracing for a wave of approaches in the summer and have slapped a £50m price tag on his signature.
Why Solanke was of interest to Spurs
Solanke joined Bournemouth from Liverpool in an initial £19m deal back in 2019 but only scored three goals from 42 Premier League appearances for the south coast club before a bottom-three finish sucked the Vitality Stadium into the second tier.
A prolific couple of years in the Championship honed the 26-year-old's striking skill set and set him in good stead to succeed upon returning to the big time at the start of last season, scoring six goals and supplying seven assists as Bournemouth preserved their top-flight status.
A brilliant profusion of quality this season has now established Solanke as one of the Premier League's most fearsome forwards, with The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell noting that the "top, multi-faceted forward" has finally meshed the cogs into one attacking engine.
1.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
14
1.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
14
3.
Dominic Solanke
Bournemouth
13
4.
Son Heung-min
Tottenham Hotspur
12
5.
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
11
5.
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham United
11
As per FBref, the 6 foot 1 talisman also ranks among the top 24% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 22% for successful take-ons and the top 9% for clearances per 90.
Potent and productive this year, Solanke would have been an excellent addition to front the Tottenham attack and still could arrive in the summer, but interest has been shelved for now and Postecoglou must utilise his existing options.
Richarlison is riding the crest of the wave at the moment and Son's prowess as a world-class attacking force is known to the whole of Europe, but rising star Alejo Veliz out of contention since the start of January and not expected back any time soon, it might be time to bring one of the exciting U21s into the senior set-up.
Jamie Donley has started to wedge his way into Postecoglou's plans and has earned three appearances so far, but he's not the out-and-out striker to sharpen the spearhead. That's Will Lankshear, and he deserves a shot.
Will Lankshear profiled
Tottenham signed Lankshear from Sheffield United for a reported fee of £2m in 2022 and the 18-year-old has so far scored 15 goals and supplied four assists across 25 matches for the side's respective youth levels.
Said to be "an absolute unit for his age, massive, powerful" by Spurs expert John Wenham, the teenager clearly boasts the athleticism and physicality to thrive and could now make his senior debut before the summer to hand Postecoglou a secret weapon, adding a dimension to his impressive offensive options.
Last season, he plundered four goals and two assists from just five outings in the U18 Premier League and made five appearances in the Premier League 2, and while he didn't find the mark in that one, each introduction came from the bench in the second half.
Alas, that breakthrough campaign was cut short by a knee injury suffered in February but if there were any worries surrounding a detrimental blow to his development, they have been wiped away through some stellar showings in 2023/24.
Back with a vengeance for the current campaign, Lankshear has plundered ten goals and two assists from 12 fixtures, including eight strikes from nine in the Premier League 2.
Boyish avidity meets age-belying confidence and cutting-edge. Lankshear is the real deal and proved his ability to overcome adversity and take a level-up in his progress in 2023.
Now he must be promoted to the first-team fold, ready to wreak havoc on established, professional defenders left bemused by the precocity of this teenage talent.
