There was one clear objective in Tottenham's January transfer window and that was to leave Antonio Conte with a hungry squad, with every player ready to put their bodies on the line for him.
Unhappy stars were moved out the door, regardless of their cost to Spurs, and two newcomers to better fit his system were brought in.
Tottenham's managing director of football Fabio Paratici explained what he was trying to do for Conte.
"Normally a rebuild takes time," he said this week. "We sold some players in between the summer and January, players who have a lot of seasons here, which maybe need other motivation, and we bought players, younger with motivation, with technical level, with good mentality to improve the team now and in the future especially.
"As a project we have to spend time doing it. We signed one of the best coaches in the world, so I think we are in a good direction."
He added: "To have a good group, we need a good dressing room who follows the coach and the ambition of the club and achieves the target, we need a person before a player. That's the most important thing for me.
"Everyone understands about the skills of the players, what we need, what the coach asks and we have to follow this direction."
Tottenham's FA Cup win against Brighton on Saturday night showed not only what a week on the training pitches of Hotspur Way with Conte can do, but also what a Spurs squad without any unhappy voices can bring.
The physical level of the players was much improved, with pressing high up the pitch for long periods of the game and that's something Conte wants now in every match and he believes he has a more complete squad to rotate and maintain it.
Tottenham have always been at their best in recent years when they play with a snarl, with a hint of aggression to their play in both halves of the pitch.
The returning Cristian Romero certainly brings that. The 24-year-old Argentine reminded everyone just how good he is and why his permanent transfer from Atalanta is merely a formality as Spurs cannot afford to let him go anywhere else.
The centre-back's decision-making, anticipation and use of the ball are a cut above and Conte wants to build this Spurs backline around him. The excitement when he speaks about last season's Serie A defender of the year is clear.
His two new signings also brought glimpses of what they will add to this new hungrier Spurs outfit.
Rodrigo Bentancur is a winner, despite also being just 24. He has three Serie A titles under his belt and was pivotal in Juventus winning their last one in 2020.
He only got 18 minutes in his first appearance for Spurs, including added time, but he brought composure to a midfield that had started to look ragged.
It was not a long sample of time to study, but in his short spell on the pitch the Uruguayan looked confident on the ball, showing some quick feet. He was tidy in possession and broke up Brighton's play on a number of occasions.
He did also pick up what is likely to be a long line of yellow cards, if his reputation in Italy is to be believed and especially when brought to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.
Aside from that, he looked at home on this stage and he used the ball well.
Dejan Kulusevski, just 21, got almost 10 minutes more on the pitch than his fellow new arrival.
His performance showed both his qualities and the raw elements that Conte will enjoy improving on the pitches of Hotspur Way.
The Swede is direct and progressive with his play. He wants to get himself and the ball forward as soon as possible.
Physically he is built for the Premier League and showed one good moment of strength to win a ball on the edge of his own box.
He also looked to create for others and had the unmarked Steven Bergwijn not missed a sitter and Harry Kane buried a shot from the edge of the Brighton area, Kulusevski could have ended his debut with two assists.
The young midfielder is not the quickest and he is very reliant on his left foot, which means when he's playing out wide on the right he cuts inside - slightly predictably - every time, certainly on these 27 minutes of evidence.
Conte called him "a great talent" ahead of the match and after the game he was happy that both players got to experience what was a noisy night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"It was important to breathe the atmosphere for the two new signings, for us, for Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur," he said.
"It was important to come in and to understand the intensity of this league. I repeat, two good players, two young players with talent. They can help us.
"Rodrigo, despite his age, only 24-years-old, has a lot of experience because he played 120 games for Juventus. Kulusevski, the same. I think they can help us.
"I’m pleased that I gave them the opportunity to come in and also breathe this fantastic atmosphere in our stadium. Our fans, the noise tonight was so intense that it was also very difficult to communicate with the players!"
He added: "It was important for the new signings to come in and to understand very well that this league is very difficult.
"When you come here from another league you need a bit of time to understand the intensity and understand that here the difficulty is very high.
"For me, tonight to give them the possibility to come in and play for 20-25 minutes was important for Kulusevski and Bentancur.
"I repeat, two good signings for us and they can help us for the rest of the season, Now start the second part of the season and I think with these two new signings we are more complete as a squad."
Both players will improve, not only with exposure to the pace of the English game, but also from their exposure to Conte's coaching and understanding his demands.
Those in Italy suggest Bentancur revels in a midfield three and with a quiet game from Lucas Moura, Conte might consider switching to a trio in the centre of the pitch, with Kane and Son Heung-min as a strike pairing as they were under Jose Mourinho.
That would leave him with Lucas, Kulusevski and Bergwijn as the attacking options to make changes from the bench.
The wing-backs on Saturday evening were getting high up the pitch, Sergio Reguilon always an option and Emerson Royal improved down the right, complete with a strange, almost aggressive pointing message to someone on the bench - which ended with him simply taking a drink - after having forced a Solly March own goal with a cross that actually was not the best and sent into an empty box.
Spurs' creativity and threat on the main continues to come through the rejuvenated Kane, who looks to be getting back to his best again.
His first goal was vintage Kane, a sumptuous curling effort from outside the box and the second a poacher's sliding finish.
Conte seemed to be about to admit that improving the striker's fitness had been key, before instead making it a statement about the whole squad.
"For sure we need to try to improve the players, no? And I think Harry, also in the past, when in the games that he didn’t score, I liked his performance," he said.
"Harry is a player who’s scored a lot in the past as a number nine, but I think what we can appreciate - me and also the whole team - is his attitude and commitment for the team.
"I think this is the most important thing for us. Then for sure, to score two goals is important because he’s number nine, he’s used to scoring goals and he’s also improving his... we are working on the physical condition with the team.
"We’re trying to improve the intensity, also during the training sessions. I think all these situations can improve the performance with all the players."
Kane looks fitter and sharper and the feeling is mutual when it comes to his thoughts on the Italian.
"He has been brilliant," he said of Conte. "I cannot speak highly enough of him and he has really changed the mindset of the team. We have to keep working hard on and off the pitch."
It is only one game in a busy week but it feels like there has been a mood shift inside and outside the club.
Conte continues to say all the right things about where he wants Spurs to end up, but he is also content with what has been done so far.
He is happy with his two new players, who fit both his and the club's philosophy, but almost more so with the cleansing of the dressing room of unhappy players.
Ahead of the game he had essentially called Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso 'mistakes' made by the club and when asked by football.london about Bryan Gil's loan exit after just six months, criticised Spurs and in turn Paratici's recruitment methods in not properly identifying whether players might not be suited to the Premier League despite their talent.
Conte is not shy about making his feelings known. He speaks with the confidence of a man who has five top flight league titles to his name as a manager and won it all as a player.
Some within the club claim the Italian has delivered more home truths behind the scenes to Daniel Levy in just three months than the Spurs chairman has been told in years.
Whatever the Tottenham hierarchy might have told themselves about the trajectory of the club, they need only look at decisions made in recent years and the subsequent slump on the pitch and their dwindling connection with the fans off of it to bring them crashing back down to reality.
They must listen to Conte, because he knows what a club must look like on the inside to deliver success.
He told football.london ahead of the game: "I hope I transferred my thoughts to my club because I repeat, I have my vision. I'm here to try to help my club to improve.
"In my experiences in the past, I have built good structures, good teams that have lasted over time and also without me.
"It means maybe if I tell something and have a vision, I see the situation. Here we need to build, we need to build a good structure and create a good foundation.
"It will be very important to not make mistakes in the future, because in this moment many teams are higher than us and for this reason, to catch up with them, we have to reduce the mistakes. We have to reduce them, have a vision and follow this line."
The message could not be any clearer and Spurs are benefiting right now from the fact that the fans are gathering behind Conte, as they did with Mauricio Pochettino during his best seasons at the north London club.
Back then the supporters identified with that team. Right now, they're identifying with what Conte is saying.
He is vocalising their gripes with the club but also providing them with a window to look at what might be if he gets his way. It also means that if he doesn't, the fanbase will quickly turn on those denying him.
For now though, the January window, or at least its final day with those expensive 'mistakes' dispensed with, gave everyone the feeling that the Italian's words were starting to be heard within the corridors of power at Hotspur Way.
That was reflected in the enthusiasm of the crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the attendance of 54,697 the highest in more than three months and the first since then to contain over 50,000.
That crowd made themselves heard from the first whistle to the last - Conte called the noise "outstanding" - and they were rewarded with a performance from the players that matched their enthusiasm.
Spurs need to keep that going and make their stadium the fortress their head coach demands.
It's still early days in the Conte regime but now he's got his whole squad behind him, a fanbase who are singing his name and the coaching ability to back up his words.
There's finally momentum building at Tottenham again and this feels like an opportunity that must not be wasted.
