Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen did not get his wish of a fresh challenge this summer.
The Denmark international stunned supporters by going public shortly after last season's Champions League final defeat against Liverpool with his attempts to seek an exit during this summer's transfer window.
"I feel that I am at a stage of my career where I would like to try something new," he told Danish publication Ekstra Bladet.
"I have the deepest respect for everything that is happening at Tottenham and it would not be something negative to stay.
"But I have also said that I would like to try something new.
"I hope that something will be decided this summer. That is the plan. In football you never know when there could be a decision like that. It could be at any point. The best thing is always for it to happen quickly, but in football things take time."
There was interest in Eriksen all the way up until the European transfer window closed at the beginning of the week.
Links to Manchester United, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were rife throughout the summer, but nothing went further than speculation and he will be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until January at the very least.
Much to the delight of the Spurs squad.
"Yes, of course," Winks told the Evening Standard when asked if the Tottenham squad were relieved that Eriksen stayed put. "Christian's a fantastic player, there’s no doubt about that.
"He’s been one of our most impressive performers over the last few years.
"Christian’s a top person and whatever he decides, that’s up to him.
"All we can say is how well he’s performed for us this season and how professional he is.
"He's fantastic."
Eriksen changed the game in Spurs' favour after coming off the bench against Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season and opened his account for the campaign in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the weekend.
But with him entering the final 12 months of his contract with the north London outfit, it's likely that clubs across Europe will be watching his situation closely as he will be able to sign a pre-contract from January 2020.
