Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has insisted that he never considered leaving White Hart Lane during the summer transfer window.
The Icelandic player, who is said to have attracted interest from Sunderland, will have to compete with the likes of Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela following manager Andre Villas-Boas's summer spending.
"I wasn't close to leaving," BT Sport quotes Sigurdsson as saying. "I came here to play for a big club. When I joined, I knew there would be loads of players and competition.
"You can either be unhappy and leave or look at it as a challenge. Hopefully you'll improve and fight for your place as you know if you do the right thing every day things fall your way and I'm hoping that will happen."
Despite Sigurdsson's desire to stay with Spurs, reports have emerged claiming that Liverpool could launch a bid for the midfielder in the January window.