I think you're spot on with the “roles, not names” point. That's probably the biggest trap in transfer analysis. A club can replace a £100m player on the squad sheet and still leave the same tactical problem untouched.

And Spurs are the perfect example of why chemistry matters. Spending £300m can change the squad overnight, but it can't automatically create understanding between 10 or 11 new pieces.

I also agree that January is probably the first serious checkpoint. By then we'll have enough matches to see which signings actually solved problems and which ones only looked impressive in the summer.

The smaller-club point is interesting too. Sometimes the smartest transfer isn't the one that makes the biggest headline it's the one that quietly fixes the exact weakness a team had.

Which club do you think has made the smartest “problem-solving” signing this summer?