Mauricio Pochettino has urged Tottenham Hotspur's fringe players to knuckle down and try to force their way back into his team.
The likes of Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue have not been playing regularly of late and yet turned down deadline-day moves away from White Hart Lane.
Pochettino has insisted that everybody remains on an even playing field under his management and hinted that opportunities will always be there for those who apply themselves in training.
"When you sign a contract as a player, you need to understand that you don't sign to play, you sign to train," he is quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
"Then the club signs a manager or head coach to pick the players. This is football."
Kaboul was rumoured to be a target of both West Ham United and Besiktas, while Capoue rejected the chance to join West Bromwich Albion until the end of the season.