A different Leicester City could emerge from the international break with the burden of the transfer window lifted off the collective shoulders of the squad.
City may yet offload players to one of the markets that remain open, such as in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and they could still recruit free agents as they did with Fran Vieites at the weekend.
But otherwise their group is stabilised and that makes a significant difference to manager Marti Cifuentes as he aims to guide the club to victories.
During the closing fortnight of the window, the Spaniard felt compelled to omit Bilal El Khannouss from the line-up, such was the distraction of speculation around his future.
While no further exclusions were made because of transfers, James Justin, who captained City in the opening two weeks of the season, confessed upon his switch to Leeds United that the move had “taken a weight off my shoulders”.
While Cifuentes does not doubt the professionalism of those he chose, he does believe the mood at the club will now shift.
Asked if other players had been coping with the strain of transfer talk like Justin, Cifuentes said: “I think it’s a fair reflection. Players who have interest around them cope in different ways with this kind of situation.
“We’ve got some good examples. Not only JJ, but also Wilf (Ndidi) that was here for a long time and perhaps felt it was the right time for him and the club to go in different ways.
“They were extremely professional until the last second. I have no regrets with any of them in the way they approached the daily work and the competition.
“Once we know where we are, hopefully everybody can keep more clear of a focus. Definitely (the atmosphere will change once the window’s closed).
“The better the players are, the more speculation there is. I’m not surprised, it’s very normal.
“Usually it can take a few days after the window closes, but then everybody knows where we are and what our targets are. I cannot say enough about how the guys have dealt with the situation.”
A couple of players who were anticipated to depart City during the transfer window remain at the club and there is now wider scope for Cifuentes to rely on them.
Wout Faes and Harry Winks were two of Enzo Maresca’s nailed-on starters when City lifted the Championship two years ago, but both have been on the bench for most of this campaign so far. Winks has made one start, while Faes hasn’t made any.
If they’re going to be City players until at least January, there’s an opportunity for them to assume more important roles, with Caleb Okoli and Boubakary Soumare under added pressure to perform strongly to retain their places.