All eyes are going to be on Tottenham's transfer business this summer after another frustrating year in north London. In a Champions League berth for the vast majority of the campaign before falling away in recent months after some extremely poor results, Spurs could potentially miss out on Europe altogether.
That would be a disaster from a financial perspective for the club, although one positive to that potential scenario would be the new head coach having plenty of time on the training pitch to implement his own philosophy. Very busy in the transfer window last summer with Fabio Paratici clinching seven transfer deals for the club, Spurs again need to be active as a host of players ideally need to move on for a fresh challenge elsewhere.
It is very much a rebuild job for whoever comes in and replaces Antonio Conte at the Tottenham helm. A tough ask for Spurs' next manager, someone with the experience of already overseeing a rebuild would have its advantages.
READ MORE: 'He misses nothing' - Arne Slot verdict by those who know him as Tottenham eye next manager
Arne Slot is now the odds-on favourite with the bookmakers for the Tottenham hotseat and he is someone who has transformed his team after a summer of change at Feyenoord.
Having guided the Dutch club to the final of the Europa Conference League one year ago, Slot's Feyenoord squad was picked apart by other clubs in the summer transfer window. Of that team that started the final in Albania against Roma, only four still remain at the club.
Luis Sinisterra, Tyrell Malacia and Marcos Senesi all completed permanent moves to the Premier League, while Feyenoord also had to contend with losing their top four goalscorers who all hit double figures over the course of the 2021/22 campaign. Certainly dealt a bad hand over the summer as he looked to improve on finishing third in the Eredivisie, Slot had a huge job in trying to form a brand new team and take them forward.
That is exactly what he has managed to achieve as he has guided the Rotterdam club to Eredivisie title success playing an eye-catching brand of football and with his team scoring for fun along the way. Considering what happened ahead of the campaign, it is a remarkable achievement from Slot, especially with such a young squad that contains only three outfield players older than the age of 25.
Bringing young players to the club was very much at the forefront of their thinking last summer, with Timon Wellenreuther and Oussama Idrissi the oldest acquisitions at 26. Santiago Gimenez, who turned 22 last month, is undoubtedly the Dutch club's best signing after hitting 23 goals in 43 appearances since arriving from Mexican side Cruz Azul for just shy of £3.5million.
Set to attract plenty of interest this summer following his goalscoring exploits, Feyenoord will already be able to make quite the profit on the Mexican international if they do decide to sell. Danilo joining on a free transfer from Ajax and defender David Hancko from Sparta Prague have also turned out to be very wise purchases, as has Mats Wieffer who was playing for Excelsior Rotterdam in the second tier last season.
Signed for just £500,00, the 23-year-old midfielder has made 36 appearances for Feyenoord this term and he is now a Netherlands international after making his international debut back in March in a 3-0 win against Gibraltar. Academy product Quilindschy Hartman was also called up to Netherlands' preliminary squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers in March before dropping down to the Under-21s.
The left-back will make his international bow sooner rather than later and that is all down to Slot giving him an opportunity in the team following Malacia's summer exit. Feyenoord could have gone out to buy a new left-back but the 44-year-old head coach quite clearly saw something in Hartman and his decision has been fully justified.
Showing his faith in youth and that he is not afraid to sign players from lower divisions, Slot's transfer dealings hint at what could potentially come at Tottenham if he is appointed as the club's next manager. While of course the next managing director of football will have a major say on incomings and outgoings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Dutchman's input will also be pivotal given what he has achieved in such a short space of time in his home country.
Forming a youthful, entertaining team that wins at Feyenoord, Tottenham fans would love nothing more than to see exactly the same in north London from August. Most certainly needing to rebuild this summer, Slot has proven during his time with Feyenoord and also AZ that he could be the man to transform Spurs if given the opportunity by Daniel Levy.
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