Tottenham Hotspur has been one of the busiest Premier League clubs transfer-wise since Daniel Levy decided to appoint Ange Postecoglou last summer.
Regardless of the club's league finish this season there is bound to be plenty more activity after the campaign finishes. Spurs finished eighth last term and have hence been limited to domestic action, falling early in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup nonetheless.
But there's a bigger picture here, and the lion's share of Tottenham supporters are enjoying the gains made under Postecoglou's leadership so far, with last weekend's emphatic victory at Villa Park narrowing Aston Villa's lead in the top four to just two points.
Spurs, who are fifth, have a game in hand. They also have a revived sense of fluency and two wins on the bounce. In short: Postecoglou has done stellar work bringing this squad's quality back to the fore.
Fully fit, Tottenham boast a line-up worthy of challenging for the title; this much was evident after the blistering start to the term, eight wins, two draws, top spot in the Premier League.
Injuries to influential summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison back in November sent this remarkable resurgence into a spiral and the latter, amazing in his playmaking after signing from Leicester City last summer, was a gut-wrenching blow.
Maddison won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August; the England international operates with intellect from No. 10. That can't be replaced, not readily.
Giovani Lo Celso stepped up, and a pat on the back to him, but his time in N17 may have entered its final few months and he must be sold during the off-season.
Why Giovani Lo Celso must leave Spurs this summer
Do the pros outweigh the cons? Likely not. Lo Celso joined Tottenham from Real Betis in a permanent £27m transfer back in January 2020 after spending six months in the English capital on loan, with Levy having already granted a £15m outlay for his services.
£43m, give or take. That's more than the £40m figure that Tottenham parted with to land Maddison last year. And after 98 appearances the Argentina international has ten goals, eight assists and 14 bookings for his labour, spending a sizeable chunk of his Tottenham career out on loan in Spain with Villarreal.
(GK) – Paulo Gazzaniga
(RB) – Serge Aurier
(CB) – Eric Dier
(CB) – Davinson Sanchez
(LB) – Ben Davies
(CM) – Dele Alli
(CM) – Moussa Sissoko
(RW) – Giovani Lo Celso
(AM) – Tanguy Ndombele
(LW) – Heung-min Son
(CF) – Harry Kane
He's an elegant and creative player and in fairness stepped up in Maddison's absence before Christmas, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the Premier League over November and December.
Moreover, the 27-year-old ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for pass completion and progressive passes and the top 3% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
But he must leave. Lo Celso is clearly unfavoured by Postecoglou and has only really been handed roles from the outset when his manager had no other option. He's also on £70k-per-week and is out of contract in 2025, so he's not exactly earning a pittance and will continue to clog up valuable space and resources if not cashed in, when that is still possible this summer.
There have been rumours of late that Lo Celso is preparing to leave the club this summer and given the importance of catching up with those at the forefront, it may well be worth shipping him on.
Especially given the rise of Alfie Devine, who is currently competing out on loan with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship but could be ready for a role in Spurs' squad next year.
Why fans should be excited about Alfie Devine
Described as an "exquisite technician" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Devine is a versatile midfielder with skill on the ball and intelligence without it.
He's scored 20 goals and added 12 assists over 80 outings for Tottenham's various youth sides and scored in the FA Cup for the senior side when he was just 16 years old, etching his name into the record books.
After that prodigious beginning to life on the major stage, Devine spent the next few seasons honing his craft with the development squad, moving out on loan to Port Vale earlier in the 2023/24 campaign and returning in January to move up a notch to the Championship, signing a short-term deal with Plymouth.
Alfie Devine's season in numbers
Devine was fantastic across the opening half of the season with Port Vale in League One. Still, Spurs exercised their option to recall him with the view that his skill set would be better served within the second tier of English football. While Argyle are struggling against relegation, he has offered plenty of promise.
As per Sofascore, the dynamic midfielder has chipped in with two assists across six starts for the Pilgrims, winning 57% of his ground duels and averaging 3.1 ball recoveries per game.
Once lauded as a "top-class" prospect by outspoken pundit Jamie Carragher, Devine has showcased his versatility across his separate loan spells this season while chalking up three goals and six assists in the process,
“Alfie’s performances have been very good, with and without the ball,” says Plymouth manager Ian Foster after his side's 2-0 defeat against promotion-chasing Leeds United.
“He has got a really good tactical brain, a really clear understanding of what we are asking him to do. He applies himself brilliantly.”
Postecoglou likes clever, he loves intuition and understanding. Devine is enjoying a season of growth and he must continue to ply his trade with conviction, as he has been doing, in order to bloom into the kind of player who can really make an impact for Spurs.
With Lo Celso headed for the exit, there's every chance that a prospect of his quality will be handed an opportunity next season.
European competition will be on the cards and Tottenham will hope to wade deeper in the domestic cup competitions.
Rising stars of Devine's ilk will be necessary, and he might just prove to be the perfect homegrown replacement to the likely leaving Lo Celso.