Jack Cork was Southampton's first capture of the summer, signing earlier this month from Chelsea. Speculation has been mounting about Saints bringing in a striker, but nothing has been made public.
Speaking of the weekend's tournament, Atkins told Sky Sports: "The lads are going to be performing and, you never know, there might be one or two new players in addition to our fantastic football club by then.
"There's a lot of speculation about and we've been working very hard behind the scenes."
Many different players have been linked with a move to St Mary's, including Southampton schoolboy Lukas Jutkiewicz from Coventry and highly-rated Bristol City scorer Nicky Maynard.
The pressure is now on for Atkins to sign someone. With youngster Alex Chamberlain asking for a Premier League move, the Southampton management have done well not to draw attention to the 17-year-old's wish to play in the top tier this season.
With many of the top teams having already splashed a fair amount of money over the summer, the only big club in need of bolstering their midfield appears to be Arsenal. The pressure is on Arsene Wenger to spend as the Gunners brace themselves for losing some of their top stars.
Even without Chamberlain, Southampton could potentially have a good season in the Championship. However, another striker is key to any success. Rickie Lambert would benefit from a regular striking partner, and we may see him arrive this week.
Southampton host Werder Bremen and Athletic Bilbao at St Mary's this Saturday.
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