Tottenham defender Serge Aurier has admitted he was ready to leave the club this summer.
The Ivory Coast international has struggled to tie down a regular spot in Mauricio Pochettino's side since joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Although the summer departure of Kieran Trippier had been expected to see the 26-year-old given more opportunities, the right-back is yet to make any appearances for Spurs this season.
Instead, Pochettino has opted to play Kyle Walker-Peters for most of Spurs' opening matches and even chose to start Davinson Sanchez in place of Aurier for the recent 2-2 draw with Arsenal after an injury to the young full-back.
But despite getting no further than the bench this season, Aurier insisted there is no competition at Spurs and believes the club's decision not to sell him shows their confidence in him.
“What competition? There isn’t any,” he told Bal des Productions while on international duty with the Ivory Coast.
“I had decided to leave, which was fine for me.
“Finally, a lot of things came into account and I wasn't able to leave.
“It proves the club trusts me on many points. We will see how this season progresses.
"Now the transfer window is over and we must focus on the upcoming season.”
Since making the move to Spurs two years ago, Aurier has played just 41 games in all competitions for the north London club.
He managed just 17 appearances in total last season after seeing his involvement limited by thigh and hamstring injuries.
Although Walker-Peters is back in training after his hamstring issue, it remains to be seen whether Aurier's involvement will increase in the coming weeks with Tottenham set to start their Champions League campaign at Olympiacos on Wednesday.
Before then, Pochettino's side host Crystal Palace on Saturday looking for their first win since the opening weekend of the season after draws against Manchester City and Arsenal, and a surprise home defeat to Newcastle .
