Tottenham head into a crucial summer with neither a head coach nor a director of football, and with uncertainty over Harry Kane's future casting a cloud over the club.
They must fill both vacancies quickly and hope for a quiet summer where Kane is concerned to ensure they are not spending the transfer window playing catch-up with their Premier League rivals.
When the new pair eventually come in, they face a huge job to shape and rebuild a bloated squad, particularly after the club missed out on European football for next season.
Top priority
Keep Kane. No player's goals have been more valuable to their club in the top-flight than Kane, whose 30 accounted for 27 of Spurs' 60 points - or a staggering 45 per cent.
The England captain has just a year remaining on his contract and more leverage should he want to leave the club than he did two summers ago, when he failed to force through a move to Manchester City.
But Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, does not want to lose Kane and may be prepared to risk him leaving for nothing in summer 2024 by rebuffing interest from Manchester United or elsewhere.
What else they need
Where do you start? After a wretched campaign, Spurs need a total reset. A new No1 goalkeeper is an obvious priority, with captain Hugo Lloris expected to leave the club, and they need at least one, probably two, top centre-backs. Depending on the new manager's preferred system, a new left-back may be necessary, too.
Replacements for outgoing forwards Lucas Moura and Arnaut Danjuma (assuming the Dutchman's loan is not made permanent) are further musts, and a creative midfielder would be welcome. Obviously in the nuclear scenario that Kane leaves, they will need a replacement up front.
Possible ins
Who knows? Without a head coach or director of football, it's next to impossible to say at present who Spurs will target or even what kind of player might suit them. On-loan Fulham forward Manor Solomon is a club target after FIFA ruled he could leave Shakhtar Donetsk on a free transfer and would fill the space left in the squad by Lucas.
David Raya, Jordan Pickford, Robert Sanchez, Edouard Mendy and Giorgi Mamardashvili are among the goalkeepers Spurs are tracking, while Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie was a summer target under former head coach Antonio Conte. Promising full-backs Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie are expected to return from loan to bolster the first-team squad.
Possible outs
As well as the aforementioned Kane, Lloris, Lucas and Danjuma, there are several players facing uncertain futures. Eric Dier is entering the final year of his contract, while Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga would benefit from first-team football elsewhere.
Ivan Perisic, who was a Conte signing, could leave and Ryan Sessegnon may also be put up for sale following another injury-hit season. Spurs intend to take up the option to turn Dejan Kulusevski’s loan into a permanent deal, though Clement Lenglet’s loan has no such option. It is not yet clear if Tottenham will pursue a full-time deal for Lenglet.
All that is before you factor in the raft of players returning from loan, including £55m signings Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso. Both feel like they have run out of chances at Spurs, regardless of the new boss' identity.
