Cape Town - Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed that the on-going uncertainty over the future of playmaker Christian Eriksen is dragging the team down.
Tottenham earned what could be a massive point as they battled to a 2-2 draw against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon but there is still a question mark over whether one of their key players will remain at the club for the rest of the season.
Speculation over the future of Eriksen is refusing to go away as the European transfer window remains open until September 2 and there is still a chance, he could be lured away by one of the big guns.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich have all been heavily linked and there are suggestions that a bid could come in from at least one of them before the window closes.
Pochettino recently suggested it was a huge mistake from the Premier League clubs to agree to the early closure of the English window and it is easy to see why.
It was hoped each club would have their squads in place by the time the opening day of the season came around, but with the European window remaining open, it still causes uncertainty.
Tottenham can, of course, refuse to sell, but Pochettino still believes it is far from an ideal situation for his club to be in.
"The team and squad is still unsettled," Pochettino said. "We will need to wait until after the transfer window in Europe closes to see which players we are going to have and that is not easy."
As for the game itself, City completely dominated, racking up 30 shots compared to Tottenham's three, and Pochettino was delighted that his side hung on to claim a point.
The home side twice led with Kevin De Bruyne crossing for Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero to score but Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura both levelled for Spurs.
It is still very early days in the title race, but it could certainly be seen as a point gained for Pochettino's men.
"I think they were better," he added. "I think they dominated the game. That was so clear. Of course, I am happy with the result. It was a very positive result for us, one point here.
"The way we fought – I am so happy, but at the same time I am critical because we need to improve a lot."