Tottenham transformed their season last January with two of the most astute mid-season signings in recent memory, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.
Antonio Conte has made no secret of the fact that he does not believe his squad is yet good enough to compete for major honours and the head coach and managing director Fabio Paratici are eyeing more smart business next month.
The club is ready to back Conte, who is in talks over a new contract, again but the Italian has said he does not want to work with a bloated squad, so Spurs will be aiming to upgrade on existing squad players rather than add numbers.
Top priority
Above all Spurs need to upgrade at right-back but only if Conte continues to overlook Djed Spence and Matt Doherty.
Emerson Royal is plainly a weak link but Conte is reluctant to trust the alternatives to the Brazilian.
If he remains unwilling to give Spence or Doherty a run, Spurs will need to enter the market for a proven wing-back because Emerson too often renders Conte's preferred system ineffective.
What else they need
Spurs need more depth across the squad and Conte believes they can upgrade on defender Japhet Tanganga, midfielder Pape Matar Sarr and forward Bryan Gil.
Spurs fans would like to see the club target a creative midfielder although the head coach is more likely to prioritise more options up front after Kulusevski's absence in the first half of the campaign suggested Spurs are overreliant on the Swede, and with Richarlison returning from Qatar injured.
Long-term they need a replacement for Hugo Lloris in goal, and have been linked with England No1 Jordan Pickford.
Possible ins
The club have watched Pedro Porro, the Sporting right wing-back who faced them in the Champions League this year.
Spurs agreed a deal for World Cup breakout star Sofyan Amrabat last January but pulled the plug after signing Bentancur. Could they go back in for the Moroccan?
Weston McKennie is another midfielder admired by Paratici and who impressed in Qatar. Wilfried Zaha might be a smart target as his contract runs down, although there is no indication Spurs are eyeing the Crystal Palace winger.
They have also been linked with France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who could leave Juventus.
Possible outs
Tanganga, Sarr and Bryan Gil could all depart, most likely on loan in the case of the latter two, paving the way for Conte to add more experienced options to his squad.
If Spurs do target a new right wing-back, it is conceivable that one of Emerson, Doherty or Spence could leave but there has been no suggestion that any of them want to.
