Federico Fazio's expected departure to Roma is probably the least surprising development of the summer at Tottenham, and there are unlikely to be many dissenting voices as the 29-year-old heads through the exit door. However, the decision not to sign a replacement is worthy of some debate.
Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that while he expects some new arrivals before the end of the transfer window, he has no plans to bring in a defender because in addition to Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer, he can also call upon Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Dominic Ball.
It feels like a bit of a gamble, albeit a calculated one. The two signings Spurs have made so far, Wanyama and Vincent Janssen, have made perfect sense because they have ensured there is quality cover in two positions where it was previously lacking.
Tottenham were too reliant on the form and fitness of Dier and Harry Kane due to a lack of trusted alternatives last season and the same is still true of Alderweireld. Spurs played 53 games last term and the Belgian started 49 of them.
Last year the club signed Kevin Wimmer to provide backup for Vertonghen, and the understudy certainly proved his worth. The 23-year-old, who only cost £4.3million, made 21 appearances in 2015-16 and started all of Tottenham's 15 matches between Feb. 25 and April 2, when Vertonghen was out of action with a knee injury.
It underlines the fact that Alderweireld could be missing for more than one or two games if misfortune strikes and while Pochettino does have options in such a scenario, none are ideal.
As Spurs prepare to return to the Champions League, it is worth imagining how a reshuffle -- as opposed to a direct swap -- would affect their prospects in an important European match against one of the continent's best sides.
Vertonghen and Wimmer are both left-sided centre-backs so while one of them could move across, it would potentially be an awkward pairing. Dier can play at centre-back but he has proved to be much more effective in midfield and Pochettino will surely want to deploy him in front of the back four rather than move him elsewhere, especially in the biggest games.
Meanwhile, Wanyama has not played in defence since his time at Celtic, before his move to the Premier League. And although the Kenyan could stand in for Dier if the England man is forced to change roles, that would leave Spurs in the same position as last year -- lacking trusted deputies for rotation or substitutions in midfield. It would also mean the pair could not play together, which might be a good option at times.
Pochettino has additionally suggested that 18-year-old Carter-Vickers or 21-year-old Ball could step up if required, but they looked suspect in the 2-1 defeat against Juventus in Melbourne last week.
There are echoes of Pochettino's words when Spurs declined to sign a forward to help Kane in January: "We have a lot of young players and many players that can play like a striker like Sonny or Chadli, that show they can score. And after, we have younger players that train with us like Shayon [Harrison] and [Kaziah] Sterling," said the manager.
Again two academy players, who were yet to make a first-team appearance between them, were named to bolster the list of potential deputies. Yet despite Pochettino's confidence in his squad men and youngsters, it was clear there would have been issues if Kane had been absent for any reason.
Of course the Argentine has done a fine job and if he feels he has enough options in his squad to cope with all eventualities, he has earned a fair bit of trust and respect. It can also be tricky to find quality players who are happy to sit on the bench until a teammate is injured, or just turn out in the domestic cup competitions -- and Pochettino and his staff may want to leave a spot open for Carter-Vickers and/or Ball with a view to the future.
That approach to youth development is laudable. But it did not stop them signing Wimmer, who has shown it is possible to find good understudies at reasonable prices. That may well be needed.
It is entirely reasonable to agree with Pochettino and decide that Spurs have enough options at centre-back as it is. But if Tottenham are serious about fighting on all four fronts, combining a Champions League adventure with another fight for a top-four place and even the title, it is also desirable to have two strong players in each position.
The decision not to bring in a specific understudy for Alderweireld means the squad will not be quite as deep as it could be.