With days to go until the big kickoff, the meltdown is here. A fortnight ago, most Tottenham fans were relaxed about the club's reluctance to enter the transfer market madness, wearing the club's restraint as a badge of honour.
But now they are getting twitchy. Spurs are the only top-flight club yet to make a summer signing and they are relying on last season's stars to continue where they left off.
But manager Mauricio Pochettino will also be hoping that some of his squad players can, to use the cliche, be like a new signing this season, particularly in the opening weeks of the campaign.
ESPN FC assesses the chances of five forgotten players who could step up this season:
Moussa Sissoko
If Sissoko's omission from Spurs' preseason tour of the U.S. (admittedly because of illness) fitted the narrative of his continuing demise, then his surprising performance in the friendly against Juventus did not. The Frenchman was a genuine threat on Wembley's big pitch and he showed real quality to step inside and curl a shot on to the post.
That display should be enough to earn him a start at his former club on the opening day. The last time he played at St. James' Park he was untouchable as Newcastle hammered Spurs 5-1. There is clearly something about Sissoko, but beyond this weekend his future is still uncertain. Spurs would be happy to recoup the majority of the £30 million they paid for the 27-year-old, particularly as the club remains in the market for a speedy winger.
Chances of "being like a new signing:" 3/5
Harry Winks
It felt like Winks was on the cusp of a big, coming-of-age performance before an unlucky ankle injury ended his season in April. Now he is back fit, and Victor Wanyama's injury and Eric Dier's likely deployment at right-back means he has a chance to stake a claim from the very first match.
Mousa Dembele is unique but creaking and has said he will never play pain-free again. Pochettino has tended to refresh his central midfield pairing every year, so Winks can make the position his own by the end of the season. As an aside, England are crying out for a keep-ball player like Winks so don't rule out him earning a spot in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad, too.
Chances of "being like a new signing:" 4/5
Georges-Kevin Nkoudou
In August 2016, Nkoudou was apparently holed up in a London hotel room waiting for his transfer to Spurs to be rubber-stamped. A year on, the winger's impact on Pochettino's first team has not increased much and it is hard to escape the feeling that the manager just doesn't rate him.
Spurs paid £11m for Nkoudou but Pochettino has treated him like a promising young player and based on preseason, he could even find himself overtaken by some of the club's homegrown youth. A lively cameo against Roma in New Jersey offered a brief indicator that Nkoudou may be better on the right than the left, where he has generally been used, but is unlikely he will pull up trees on either flank this season. And that's assuming he stays.
Chances of "being like a new signing:" 1/5
Erik Lamela
You either love him or you hate him. Lamela is a player who divides Spurs supporters like no other, but even his fiercest critics agree that he's no good to anyone in his current state. The Argentine international has not played since October due to a persistent hip problem. He is now recovering from double hip surgery.
Lamela was an important player to Spurs in 2015-16 but although they missed him in some of the biggest games, Pochettino simply found a way to play without him last season. His replacement, Son Heung-Min, is a far more clinical and decisive option. Even so, a fit Lamela would be an asset for Spurs, particularly haring around Wembley's big pitch.
Chances of "being like a new signing:" 3/5
Vincent Janssen
Like Roberto Soldado before him (and Helder Postiga before him), Janssen quickly became an ironic cult hero at Tottenham for being such a dismal striker. He arrived at Spurs as the Eredivisie top scorer but he was more Afonso Alves than Ruud van Nistelrooy last season, and it took him 30 appearances to score from open play. But he is a trier and his incremental improvement over the course of the season offered hope. A classy finish against Roma was another all-too-brief glimpse of his quality.
Everyone needs a year to adapt to the Premier League, particularly a style as particular and demanding as Pochettino's, and Janssen is still just 22. If he is to have an important season, he needs to make an impact quickly because he is currently Spurs' third striker behind Harry Kane and Son.
Chances of "being like a new signing:" 3/5