Tottenham development coach Clive Allen admits management feared their squad would be picked off by Manchester City in the summer.
Allen told the Islington Gazette: "There's always a fear at the end of the season that you're going to draw interest in your players, and receive massive bids for key people.
"At the moment that team is obviously Manchester City, and we have to be realistic and accept that every player has his price.
"Mark [Hughes] had the whole of last season to watch players and identify his targets, and of course he's in a very strong position to land them. So it was nice for us that he didn't come knocking for our players. It was a relief."
