Mauricio Pochettino has improved Tottenham in significant ways in his first season as manager.
They are a far more resilient side, hard to beat and tough to run down.
Their midfield duo of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason have shown a capacity to compete with the best teams in England. Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are the match-winners in attack and Hugo Lloris is among the world's best goalkeepers.
Their defence remains a work in progress but the component parts are there for further improvement next season.
One of Spurs' most obvious weaknesses is their wide attack.
Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend have shown momentary brilliance but both frustrate too often to be first choice.
Nacer Chadli has looked the part more often than either of his rivals but is also unreliable.
Pochettino needs a more effective weapon to deploy out wide. Without it, Kane is isolated and his supply line is cut off by opposition defenders. Similarly, without a player in wide areas to stretch the pitch, Eriksen can also be closed down.
Spurs have been linked with three international-quality wide men in recent days.
Everton's Belgian winger Kevin Mirallas has reportedly been a target for Tottenham for some time, per John Cross of the Mirror. Having seemingly burnt his bridges on Merseyside, Spurs should be able to prise Mirallas away.
Capable of sublime pieces of skill and a more reliable goalscorer than any of Spurs' current wide players.
Much like Chadli, Mirallas is mercurial. Occasionally unplayable but too often anonymous, Mirallas isn't a significant improvement on Tottenham's current crop. His dismissive attitude towards Everton also raises questions of his temperament, and he would likely demand significant wages.
Mirallas is a fine player, but he isn't the player to make Spurs a significantly more threatening attack.
Marseille's Ghanaian wide forward Andre Ayew is available on a free transfer in the summer and Spurs lead the race to sign him, according to ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke (h/t StarAfrica.com).
A reliable goalscorer at international level and somewhat regular scorer in Ligue 1, Ayew is also an effective presser. Familiar with Marcelo Bielsa's system after a full season under the Argentine, Ayew should be able to adjust to Pochettino's similar approach.
Both disciplined and aggressive without the ball and consistently effective with it, Ayew would be an excellent signing for Pochettino's second season. Coming from a Bielsa team, Ayew would be able to find his feet quickly and would waste little time adapting to Pochettino's system.
Another advantage of signing Ayew is his ability to fill in as a centre-forward. Kane is not going to be capable of playing every game next season. Spurs' striker options are as shallow as their wide ones, Ayew strengthens the team in both areas.
According to Sport (h/t Metro) Ibrahim Afellay is another on Spurs' shopping list this summer.
Another free-agent option—his Barcelona contract due to expire in the summer—Afellay is an experienced and effective wide player capable of filling a variety of positions.
Far more skillful and creative than his time at Barcelona has shown, Afellay remains an excellent player. He possesses pace approaching Aaron Lennon's but far more end product.
Approaching his 30th birthday, Afellay would stand out as one of Spurs' oldest players if he were to sign for next season. Rather than being a disadvantage, Afellay's seniority could actually bring some crucial leadership to Pochettino's young squad.
Ayew is three-and-a-half years younger than Afellay and remains the most attractive option of these three. He would likely be the fastest to fit into Pochettino's system.
There is the obvious drawback of any African player; he would be unavailable during crucial winter months every other season due to African Cup of Nations commitments, but this is his only major weakness compared with Mirallas and Afellay.
Each would be an improvement on the current options and facilitate the sale of Chadli and Lennon but Mirallas has the biggest weaknesses.
Afellay is ageing and is several years removed from his best form but a free transfer mitigates the risk of signing an older player. His experience playing with Barcelona could only add to the winning attitude in the Spurs dressing room.
Spurs certainly need to improve their attacking options ahead of next season. Any of Mirallas, Ayew and Afellay would make them a better team and improve Pochettino's chances of leading Tottenham to Champions League football.
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