Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that his side may yet lose players while the European transfer window remains open.
Spurs enjoyed a fruitful off-season with a handful of major new recruits brought in for only a few exits in North London, following last year’s domestic and Champions League exploits.
However, with the British transfer window now concluded, the Argentine can no longer add to his squad should any of his players be poached by continental opposition, with September 2 the deadline for such purchases elsewhere.
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Christian Eriksen is among a clutch of big-name players who have been linked with the door at the club, as has Jan Vertonghen, with the end of their current deals on the horizon.
Pochettino has accepted that the circumstances and uncertainty his side find themselves are “difficult” but he has refused to blame it as the catalyst for their underwhelming performance against Manchester City on Saturday, when they managed to scrape a 2-2 draw against the odds.
"I think it's not an excuse. I am not complaining about the situation, only explaining it," the Argentine stated after the match. "Of course, we still need to wait to see what happens with our squad. Maybe some players are still in a situation where things can happen.
"We are not a closed squad where nobody is going to move. Maybe nobody will move. The circumstances are that things are still open. The market in Europe makes things difficult in the way that we work and this type of situation doesn't help the coaching staff to create a good dynamic.
"Of course, we are going to start our sixth season at Tottenham and I think we're world champions at adapting ourselves to different circumstances. It's a great experience. We are going to be one of the best coaching staffs in the world at adapting to circumstances.
"Today when you play against a team like Manchester City, with all the circumstances we have inside our team, I think 2-2 and a point is massive.
"Credit to the team and everyone who is working hard, trying to keep going, working, trying to not be focused on the circumstances, just positive, faith and hope. That is massive.
"I don't know if people realise or not. I don't care about that. Only that the circumstances are not the best and the challenge is massive. So happy because the will of the players, their commitment and with all the circumstances we're trying to get a good result for the club and for our fans."
Tottenham's next match comes against Newcastle before focus turns to a north London derby against Arsenal the following week.