Mauricio Pochettino said it would be ‘nearly impossible’ for Christian Eriksen to leave Tottenham after his goal helped Spurs to a 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the North London derby.
Eriksen, who has been heavily linked with a move away from Spurs before the European transfer window closes tomorrow, opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium when he turned home on the rebound from Erik Lamela's shot, his 50th goal in the Premier League.
Harry Kane added a second for the visitors to give them a commanding lead before goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brought Arsenal storming back.
Afterwards, Pochettino was quick to play up the Denmark international’s performance, claiming that despite the on-going uncertainty regarding his future, his performance justified his inclusion.
"The whole team had a very good performance.,” the manager told the BBC. “Eriksen had a big performance. His mind was clear that he wanted to play. It’s nearly impossible for something to happen [with a transfer tomorrow], that’s why it was clear."
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"I think it was a great game for both sides. I think we did very well and we were very solid and created a lot of chances. In the first half it was a great 45 minutes and I was a little bit ashamed to concede before half time.
"We have massive quality and from tomorrow [when the transfer window shuts] we will all be on the same page. With Christian Eriksen we have to wait but it shows it was the right decision to play him. He showed a great performance and helped the team to get a point here.”
Spurs looked fully in control when Kane converted a penalty to double their lead five minutes before half time, but they failed to protect their advantage until the break.
Lacazette’s goal in stoppage time at the end of the half gave the Gunners the encouragement they needed to peg back their rivals late in the game.
"I am optimistic and happy to work with the squad and try to fight for big things for the club,” said Pochettino as his team dropped points for the third time in four games.
"What happened in the past happened in the past and you cannot fix it. It is about drawing a strong line for the future. It’s important to move on and learn from the past.”
Kane, who scored for the 10th time in 11 North London derby outings, also suggested that his team-mate Eriksen could yet be persuaded to stay at Spurs.
"He is a fantastic player,” said Kane. “I've been playing with him for five, six years. He is doing the best he can. You can see how much the goal meant to him. As a squad we are fighting and sticking together and giving everything we can on the pitch.”