TOTTENHAM will be looking to return after the summer break with a leaner and fitter squad ready to take on the annual push for Champions League qualification. However, with all of the big four strengthening their squads considerably, fourth place is likely to prove as elusive as ever.

This summer, Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino were quick to trim down some of the fatty excesses of the post-Gareth Bale feast, with Paulinho and Etienne Capoue being shown the door by early July and Vlad Chiriches sold to Napoli. 

Roberto Soldado will surely also be departing after an inexplicably and agonisingly barren two years in the Premier League, leaving just the promising attacking trio of Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela from the original seven. 

The sybaritic spending that numbed the pain of Bale’s departure has now given way to a far more austere and targeted transfer policy. 

With the worst defensive record in the top 13 last season, reinforcing the back four was clearly a priority. Eric Dier had an impressive first season for such a young player but suffered from lapses in concentration. Meanwhile at right back, Kyle Walker would have benefited from the competition for his place that drove Danny Rose to his best season at the club. The less said about Federico Fazio the better.

These issues have all been addressed with the signings of Toby Aldeweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier, all for modest transfer fees. 

Aldeweireld seems delighted to be linking up with his former teammate Jan Vertonghen, with whom he won the 2010/11 and 2011/12 Eredivisie titles at Ajax. Interestingly, a young Eriksen also made his name at Ajax during those title-winning seasons.

While Aldeweireld is likely to slot into the starting 11 immediately at centre-back, Wimmer, who is currently an unknown quantity, will be tested in League Cup and Europa League games. 

Likewise, Trippier will most probably be used as a high-quality back-up for Walker, although Pochettino’s meritocratic team selection means there is every chance he could break into the first team.

After the sudden breakthrough of academy products Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane last season, Spurs fans are keenly monitoring the development squad to see who could become the next homegrown star. 

Alex Pritchard is the name on everyone’s lips after a strong season on loan at Brentford which earned him a place in the Championship team of the season. 

However, as an attacking midfielder he finds himself in the position where Spurs are most well-resourced and he will struggle to displace the likes of Eriksen, Chadli and Moussa Dembele. 

In the areas where Spurs are looking genuinely threadbare, particularly central midfield and attack, Levy appears to be playing the long game and waiting to snap up bargains in the last week of the transfer window. 

Saido Berahino is a potential target as a partner for Kane but the premium placed on young England internationals with Premier League experience might take him beyond Levy’s budget, with West Brom reportedly asking around £25 million for the 21-year-old.

With no new stars arriving, and little prospect of a significant academy breakthrough, it is hard to see how Spurs can improve on their fifth-placed finish this season. 

A more robust defensive line will help but unless a new striker is bought, the pressure on Kane to replicate his prolific form from last season will be immense. 

Mason and Bentaleb are forming an eye-catching central midfield partnership but are effectively now the only players that fit into that role in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 system. 

It feels as though Spurs are treading water until the arrival of the new stadium but the fans’ patience may be tested before that time comes.