Ange Postecoglou admits "nothing magical" will happen in the January transfer window to help injury-hit Tottenham.
Postecoglou's depleted side crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday.
Nine players were unavailable to the Tottenham boss and, after Sunday's clash with Bournemouth, he will lose Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Son Heung-min for January due to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup.
While Tottenham have been linked with a move for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, Postecoglou tried to quash assumptions he will herald the new year with a flurry of transfer activity.
"Nothing magical is going to happen in the January window," Postecoglou said.
"What we need to do is just keep building. We've had one window with this team to change it around, to do things differently.
"The fact that we're in the (fifth) position we are is a credit to the players. For all the challenges we've had, we just kept ploughing forward and that's what we'll do.
"We'll see what we can do in January, but ultimately it's about building a side that will get us to where we want to."
Tottenham's long list of absentees means Postecoglou has used 27 players in all competitions this season.
As a result, their early title bid has taken a blow, with the north Londoners presently in fifth place, six points behind leaders Liverpool.
"We're still at the beginning. Within that context, we want to compete. We've got ourselves in a position where we can compete. That's what we need to keep pushing forward for," Postecoglou said.
"For us to sustain and maintain that and be a team, it's no secret we need a strong squad."
Hugo Lloris' departure from Tottenham is set to be finalised shortly, with the French goalkeeper close to agreeing a move to Los Angeles FC on a free transfer.
"Obviously there's stuff happening but I've been focused on the game. I'm sure we'll hear something in the next couple of days," Postecoglou said.
