Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that if Christian Eriksen does not complete a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona today then he will remain at Tottenham until January.

Denmark international Eriksen has had his heart set on a move to Spain this summer but Spurs are yet to receive any firm offers for the playmaker, who is now in the final year of his contract.

Tottenham have offered Eriksen a new contract believed to be worth more than £200,000 a week but the 27-year-old is yet to sign it.

Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen has had his heart set on a move to Spain this summer

English clubs can still sell players abroad until the European transfer deadline on Monday but Pochettino, who said on Friday that there was no news on whether a bid had come in for Eriksen, insists a move must come on Saturday.

If it does not come to fruition, there would not be enough time to complete a transfer with the team playing against Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

‘Today we are going to know if Christian is going to be with us or not,’ said Pochettino. ‘The good thing is that today (if) nothing happens, it’s because it’s not going to happen on Monday.

‘After Sunday, (when) it’s the game, and there’s no real time to do something.’

Eriksen has started just one of Tottenham’s first three Premier League games amid concerns he has become distracted by his uncertain future.

Mauricio Pochettino has defended his decision to keep Eriksen as an option in his squad

However, Spurs face North London rivals Arsenal on Sunday on the back of a dismal home defeat to Newcastle which left Pochettino with just one win from the opening three matches and in need of his creator-in-chief.

The Spurs boss has urged fans to trust his decision if he opts to start the Dane on Sunday.

‘He’s working hard,’ added Pochettino. ‘That’s my judgement, with my staff. You need to be right. People need to trust. If we make the decision that he’s going to play it’s because we believe he can perform in the way that we expect or we need him to perform.

‘You cannot be 100 per cent right in your judgement. If some people have more information to make that decision, it’s us.

Pochettino says the Dane will remain in North London if no deal is agreed today

‘People will say, why are you playing Christian? The team-mates can say, why are you playing Christian if the rumour is he’s going to leave? Gaffer, why am I not playing when Christian wants to leave, is looking to go away?

‘In this situation, there are plenty of things that happen inside that I cannot translate to you and you to our fans. The only way of working hard and being all together is trusting in us, in our decision, in our judgement. Because it is so difficult.

‘The first person interested in winning Sunday or last Sunday is the manager, because I need to put my face in front of you and explain why. Every single decision is always in doubt. Why not play Dele Alli? What is his injury? Instead of playing one he is playing another. The most important is to trust in our judgement. We are not always right, we make a lot of mistakes. We are humble enough to recognise our mistakes.’