Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has addressed rumours of Paris Saint-Germain-linked midfielder Dele Alli's impending exit, insisting "I'm not responsible for the market".
Alli's future at Spurs has been the subject of much speculation since he was substituted at half-time during the 1-0 defeat against Everton on the opening weekend of the new season.
The England international was subsequently dropped from Mourinho's squad for a Europa League qualifying meeting with Lokomotiv Plovdiv, with it initially reported that he was in line to move to Real Madrid as part of the deal which saw Gareth Bale return to the club on Saturday.
The 24-year-old did not end up making his way to Santiago Bernabeu, but was left out of the Portuguese tactician's squad once again as Tottenham travelled to St Mary's to take on Southampton on Sunday.
Mourinho played down the significance of his decision prior to the 5-2 victory over the Saints, but PSG have now also emerged as potential suitors for Alli and are reportedly eager to secure his services before the summer transfer window closes.
Asked if the mercurial playmaker could complete a move away from Spurs in the coming weeks, Mourinho told his post-match press conference: "I'm not responsible for the market. I'm not able to answer your question on that. I can only say I left eight players behind training. They are a big group and Dele was among this group.
"The same way a squad is a puzzle and in the same way so is the bench. I cannot have three wingers and a No 10 and then no defender. Dele stayed out but probably Tuesday he will play. I want a balanced squad. He doesn't have to be sacrificed."
In addition to signing Bale on loan from Madrid, Tottenham were also able to bring in Spanish full-back Sergio Reguilon on a permanent deal, taking their summer spending beyond the £50 million ($65m) mark.
Mourinho refused to be drawn on the significance of recent additions, however, as he added: "It’s unfair for me to speak about new signings today when this team won 5-2. When Gareth and Sergio belong to the team and they are ready to play then they will be our players.”
The ex-Chelsea and Manchester United boss was more content to discuss his team's latest performance, with Spurs now back on track after their surprise loss to Everton.
Son Heung-min notched four of Tottenham's five goals against Southampton, but Mourinho reserved special praise for club captain Harry Kane, who recorded four assists before also getting his name on the scoresheet.
“We didn’t start badly at all. In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we were good. After that we lost control," he told BBC Sport. "In the centre of our defensive area, we were a bit sloppy. We lost some duels. They got the ball behind us too easy. I was on the bench and thinking I would be happy to get in at 1-0.
“The goal gave us a different position in the game. In the second half, Harry Kane killed the game, the way he connected the game, the way he was dropping, he allowed Son Heung-min into attacking spaces. His performance was amazing. In the second half, we were too good for them.
“We know Southampton quite well - we played them four times last season, twice in the league and twice in the cup. [Former Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg helped us to analyse and understand the way they play. We knew they risk a lot.
"The full-backs leave a lot of space behind. By Harry Kane’s movement, we killed them. He changed the game for me and of course Sonny.”