Hey buddy. And welcome to the game.

You do not lose nor does tokes disappear.
You chose to spend them.
Tokens are very valuable in this game, thereby making it extremely important to spend them wisely.
There are loads of hint to how to spend your tookens better in threads in this very forum.
One of the classic and very costly lessesions. Is knowing when to exit a bidding war at the transfer market.
In lower levels there are several players at the market. So an early exit is advisable