Mauricio Pochettino admits he is "not optimistic at all" that Tottenham will make any signings before the transfer deadline.
The Argentinian stated last week that Spurs were pursuing a few targets ahead of the window closing on Thursday, with injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli and the departure of Mousa Dembele to China leaving his squad looking thin.
Exiting the EFL Cup and FA Cup in the space of four days further exposed the lack of depth at Pochettino's disposal, with Lucas Moura's move from Paris Saint-Germain in January 2018 the last signing his side made.
However, the Spurs manager now fears there will be no incomings before the deadline, telling a news conference on Tuesday: "You know how we work. In the last minute, everything can happen.
"Of course, different players maybe will have the opportunity to leave the club. We're going to see. There's not too much time.
"A few days ago I was very optimistic about some options to sign – realistic options to sign – but today, no, I'm not optimistic."
Spurs could at least have Son Heung-min available for Wednesday's Premier League match with Watford.
The forward was pictured training on Tuesday, having returned from Asian Cup duty, where his South Korea side were surprisingly knocked out by Qatar in the quarter-finals.
