Tottenham Hotspur - Summer rested on Moutinho purchase

Tottenham have not done awfully when it comes to bringing in new players, but supporters will be split as to whether the club have actually improved or weakened.

Now the proof will come at the end of the season, not after three games. In many ways Spurs' season begins after the international break, and wins on the road at Reading and at home to QPR are important to set them up for a must-watch clash at Old Trafford on September 30.

Losing players like Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart would hurt any team. Can former Fulham pair Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey replace them?

Dembele made a bright start against Norwich, and Dempsey guarantees one thing - goals. With Gylfi Sigurdsson brought in too,  Jan Vertonghen to replace Ledley King, and Adebayor permanently, Spurs have bought well.

Hugo Lloris is a world class signing in goal, and even though Friedel may not be ready to step aside yet, snapping up a goalkeeper of the Frenchman's quality was essential as it is not so often they become available, and the American would have needed replacing soon.

Are Dembele and Sigurdsson world class replacements for Modric in midfield? A quick answer to that is no. Or at least the jury is out. They are very good Premier League players, but untested at the very highest level. Spurs fans will hope they come good, and given their ages, 25 and 22, they have every chance of doing so.

Chairman Daniel Levy held Tottenham's preparations hostage by waiting until almost the last possible minute to squeeze every penny out of Real Madrid, and as a result- the only truly world class midfielder Tottenham targeted slipped through the net.

Spurs had a £22 million offer accepted for Porto's Joao Moutinho, but left themselves too little time to negotiate personal terms and persuade the midfielder to join them.

Supporters ended deadline day feeling like a child who had been denied the Christmas present they really craved, and woken up with a Clint Dempsey doll instead.

If Spurs could have brought in Moutinho, there is no doubt that in addition to all the other signings they would have improved their squad. Without the Portugal star they look like they have been left slightly short, have had a terrible start to the season to boot, and face a real fight just to replicate last season's top four finish.

That is a responsibility Levy must share with Andre Villas-Boas. They were so close, but ultimately fell short. That's the risk you run when you leave everything until the last minute. We hope the extra millions in the bank are worth it.

Would the Moutinho signing have changed your opinion of Tottenham's summer? 

image: © goulao