Over the last four to five years, Tottenham Hotspur have become far more willing to splash the cash.
The days of going through an entire summer without signing someone seem long gone, but that doesn't mean managers always get the players they want.
For example, there was one striker Antonio Conte was supposedly keen to bring to N17 during summer 2022, a striker who was just named ahead of the great Harry Kane in last night's Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Spurs' 2022 summer transfer window
Before we get to the player in question, let's take a look at a couple of signings Spurs did actually make that summer, starting with one which hasn't really worked out: Richarlison.
The Brazilian international cost the North Londoners around £60m when he made the switch from Everton, and while he has shown glimpses of quality for the club, he hasn't justified his hefty transfer fee.
For example, in his 76 appearances for the club so far, the 27-year-old has scored just 16 goals and provided eight assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 2.95 games.
On the other hand, the Lilywhites also signed Italian full-back Destiny Udogie in 2022, for around £15m, and following his loan back to Udinese he's looked like a future star.
The 21-year-old made 30 first team appearances last season, scored two goals, provided three assists and was nominated for the Premier League Young Player of the Season, and while he has struggled slightly this year, he looks set for a bright future.
However, while Udogie has a claim to being the club's best signing in 2022, he would have had some real competition had Conte got the striker he was really after.
Conte wanted Lautaro Martinez
Yes, the striker in question is none other than Inter Milan superstar Lautaro Martinez, who, according to reports from Italy via the Daily Mail, was one of Conte's primary targets in the 2022 summer transfer window.
Obviously, we know now that the Italian coach didn't get his way, but had Daniel Levy and Co paid what would have been an exorbitant fee, the North Londoners would have got their hands on an incredible player, someone renowned football podcaster Angelo Valdes described as "the best 9 in the world."
Now, that might be slightly hyperbolic, but it's not hard to see where he's coming from, as in the two and a bit seasons since that summer, the 27-year-old has racked up a frankly ridiculous haul of 80 goals and assists in 112 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.4 games.
So, with a level of output like that and a league triumph to back it up last season, it's not surprising to see that he finished as high as seventh in this year's Ballon d'Or, but what is surprising is that former Spurs phenom Kane finished three places lower in tenth.
The Englishman had a freakish individual campaign for Bayern Munich last season, scoring an absurd 44 goals in 45 appearances and providing 12 assists for good measure, equating to an average of 1.24 goal involvements per match.
However, what probably counted against the 31-year-old was that he ended the season empty-handed, becoming part of the first Bayern team in 12 years not to win the Bundesliga, which doesn't help the usual boring narrative that has followed him his entire career.
Ultimately, both Martinez and Kane are incredible strikers, and had Spurs backed Conte and signed the former, maybe he would have been able to help the latter end his and the club's long wait for a trophy.