It's never quite seamless down at N17, but Tottenham Hotspur supporters will be delighted with the progress made this season under Ange Postecoglou, who was appointed in the summer after an abject end to the 2022/23 campaign.
Multiple transfers had given Spurs a new look but big blows to influential summer signings James Maddison and Micky van de Ven had stifled the success of the first few months of the campaign, Postecoglou picking up the Premier League Manager of the Month award three times on the trot.
The decline in form now firmly left in 2023, Tottenham are pushing for top four and will seek to wade deep into the FA Cup campaign to end an interminable wait for silverware, with the club active in the January transfer window already to counter the lack of depth.
Central defender Radu Dragusin was signed from Genoa for £27m while former Chelsea forward Timo Werner has arrived on loan with an option to buy for around £15m in the summer.
Postecoglou wants more, and while deals have already been struck, here is how the Lilywhites could look at the end of the month, in the dream scenario, of course…
1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario
Signed from Italian side Empoli for an initial £17m in July, Guglielmo Vicario looks to be more of a bargain with each passing matchweek, with Spurs captain Heung-min Son praising his "unbelievable" shot-stopping ability.
The 27-year-old has been an undisputed success so far and will be in with a claim for the top-flight's goalkeeper of the season accolade.
2 RB – Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro has a credible claim to Tottenham's Player of the Season so far, placing seven assists across 20 Premier League matches, creating ten big chances, averaging 2.0 key passes, 3.1 tackles and 5.3 ball recoveries per match, as per Sofascore.
The Spaniard is untouchable at right-back and chairman Daniel Levy is sure to be grumbling at rumoured interest from Manchester City.
3 CB – Cristian Romero
Not featuring as much as he (and his manager) would like due to suspension and injury this season, Cristian Romero remains one of the Premier League's finest centre-halves and has been utterly imperious in the rearguard when fit and firing.
4 CB – Micky van de Ven
Van de Ven completed a £43m transfer to Tottenham from Bundesliga competitors VFL Wolfsburg in the summer and has showcased his prowess to near perfection.
The only negative is that he has only just returned from a two-month layoff after injuring his hamstring against Chelsea, thus beginning a shadowed period of poor form. Emphasises his importance, to be honest…
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie joined Spurs from Udinese for £15m in 2022 but spent the following season back on loan with the Serie A side, though he is now flourishing as one of the Premier League's brightest new stars.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Dribbling
Ball retention
Passing
Crossing
Tackling
Intercepting
*Sourced via WhoScored
As per FBref, the £75k-per-week whiz ranks among the top 11% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 12% for progressive carries, the top 15% for pass completion, the top 16% for interceptions and the top 18% for tackles per 90.
6 CM – Yves Bissouma
A bit like Romero, Yves Bissouma has been in and out of the team this season and clearly has some disciplinary issues that will need to be ironed out if he wants a long-term future under Postecoglou's wing.
Regardless, the tough-tackling Malian is a fierce presence in the engine room and played an instrumental role in Spurs' stunning start to the season.
7 CM – Conor Gallagher
One of the most discussed transfer rumours of the month, Tottenham were recently dealt a blow in their pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher with the Blues reluctant to let the all-action star leave this month, having placed a price tag of £50m in an attempt to dissuade suitors.
Nonetheless, Postecoglou desperately wants the 23-year-old in his squad and signing him over the next ten days really would be a momentous moment for the ambitious Lilywhites.
8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski has been ever so important for Tottenham this term and is indispensable on the right of central attacking midfield, completing 84% of his passes and averaging 2.3 key passes and 4.4 ball recoveries per game.
Recently discussing the Swede's talents, Sky Sports' Jamie Weir said: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."
9 AM – James Maddison
Maddison has been out injured since November and his absence has been felt in north London, having racked up eight goal contributions across his 11 league contests for the club.
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Having joined from Leicester City for £40m in the summer, the England international is regarded as one of the finest playmakers in the business and ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for assists and progressive passes and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90.
10 LW – Heung-min Son
Captain fantastic. Handed the armband in the summer, Son has been exceptional this season and has led by talismanic example with 12 goals and five assists across 20 league fixtures. He's truly one of European football's finest.