Next Monday really cannot come soon enough for Juande Ramos.

Tottenham were tipped as one of the teams likely to challenge the 'big four' this season, but so far their record reads: played two, lost two.

That their conquerors were Middlesbrough and Sunderland, more likely to be fighting it out at the other end of the table, will certainly be cause for concern for the Spurs boss.

But it is hardly surprising Spurs have not been at their best, with their faltering form playing second fiddle to the saga surrounding their brilliant but moody striker Dimitar Berbatov.

When the clock ticks midnight on September 1 and the transfer window shuts, the Bulgarian's immediate future will have been decided.

It now seems almost inevitable Berbatov will be a Manchester United player, after the 27-year-old was left out of the squad to face Sunderland because he was not in the right frame of mind.

But with such a short period of time to conclude deals, the situation is a real headache for Tottenham.

They are under no obligation to sell Berbatov, who still has two years to run on his contract, but it is clear the relationship between player and club has broken down.

There is no doubt Spurs would earn a huge profit on the player they signed for £10.9million from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006 - but whether there would be time to bring in a replacement is another matter.

With Robbie Keane joining Liverpool last month and Jermain Defoe having left for Portsmouth last season, Tottenham's much-vaunted front line has been reduced to only Darren Bent.

The former Charlton striker was in fantastic form in pre-season but has scored only six Premier League goals for Spurs.

Russia's Euro 2008 stars Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko were touted as potential replacements for Berbatov. But Zenit St Petersburg claim to have closed the door an any deal for Arshavin, while striker Pavlyuchenko is reported to be unwilling to uproot his family.

Another manager hoping to bolt the transfer window firmly shut will be Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, who has been attempting to hang on to England midfielder Gareth Barry since the end of last season.

Liverpool's pursuit of Barry has been the saga of the summer. But Villa have held firm on their £18million valuation, and the Reds have so far refused to match it.

The deal has thrown up other questions about the Liverpool owners' willingness to financially back manager Rafa Benitez, and if Barry was to move to Anfield now it would be a bit of a surprise.

That does not mean O'Neill can breathe easy, though, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger confirming he too is interested in the 27-year-old.

The Gunners' 1-0 defeat by Fulham on Saturday showed up weaknesses in Wenger's squad, and Barry would fill a hole created by the departure of Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan - although the asking price is likely to be an issue.

Although only two matches have been played so far, the next week could certainly prove to be one of the most important come the end of the season.