Jan Vertonghen has revealed he is not about to sign a new contract with Tottenham, but insists he is happy to stay at White Hart Lane.
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The Belgium international said in July that a new five-year deal was on the table, but the defender -- who has four years left on his current deal and was a reported target for Barcelona this summer -- has decided against an extension.
The 27-year-old refused to disclose the reasons for not tying himself into another long-term contract, though he is confident that he can succeed at Spurs under new coach Mauricio Pochettino.
"I am not signing, no," he told the Tottenham & Wood Green Journal. "We agreed not to. Why? I would prefer not to say. I still have four years left. I am happy at the club and I think they are happy with me. That's where it ends.
"I am very happy. We have a good manager, we have a good team and a lot of good players. The squad is very big and you have to work hard to play every game, and I hope I am playing again soon.
"It is good [under the new manager]. He is working well with a lot of videos and individually he talks a lot with the players. He is a manager who expects a lot from players. We work hard and that is good -- it will pay off in the end I think."
Vertonghen has played for Spurs in their recent Europa League and League Cup outings in largely second-string sides, but is hopeful of returning to Pochettino's first-choice XI for Saturday's north London derby against Arsenal.
"I hope I play every game, in the weekends and midweek. I want to play in the biggest games -- that is what you are a footballer for," he said.
"We have got a lot of centre-backs now with [Federico] Fazio and Eric Dier, who is doing very well. Obviously Vlad [Chiriches] and Younes [Kaboul] played at the weekend and we are fighting for two places with those guys. Everyone has to be just that little bit better so the manager chooses them."
After leaving it late to secure passage to the fourth round of the League Cup with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, Vertonghen believes Spurs will have to be wary of Arsenal's attacking threats this weekend.
"It is a very good team," he added. "They have got a lot of good players and I think they have improved every year since I came here.
"They have got a very good team at the moment with the pace they have got up front with [Danny] Welbeck, who I think is a very good signing, and Alexis [Sanchez] as well.
"They have got a lot of creativity and movement and they are just one of the best teams in the league and very difficult to beat, especially at their ground."