Roman Pavlyuchenko looks set to become a Spurs player before the weekend after Spartak Moscow claimed they were happy with the money they have been offered for the striker.

The Russia international was reluctant to move his young family to England at first, but now appears happy to be heading to the Premier League and the move looks firmly in motion with his club happy not to stand in his way.

“There is a specific amount which Tottenham have offered, it suits us,” general manager Valeri Karpin told Sovetsky Sport.

“Provided Roman agrees on a contract with the British side, we are ready to release him.

“More than that, I believe that such proposals do not often come for a footballer, maybe once in their lifetime.

“And if Roman plays in England, this will be good for himself and for the team.”

And it seems the 26-year-old can't wait to join his new team-mates after being granted a visa to travel to England.

“I have firmly decided to sign a contract with Tottenham,” said the striker. “Formalities are almost settled and in a day or two I’ll be a player in the English club.”

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will not be able to pursue his interest in Gareth Barry after the player's agent stated his client will be staying at Aston Villa this season.

Wenger declared to the media that he was thinking about making a move for the England international last week after Liverpool pulled out of a move for the player.

But Barry now appears set to stay at Villa Park to end any hopes that he may end up at the Emirates Stadium, before the transfer window closes on Monday.

“Gareth made a decision to stay two weeks ago and informed Aston Villa of his intentions,” read a statement from agent Alex Black.

“During this time discussions have taken place to decide the best way forward for all parties.

“Any talks regarding a potential new contract and Aston Villa will not be taking place until the end of the season.

“Gareth wants to concentrate on playing to the best of his ability this season, we hope this draws a line under the matter.”

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Arsene Wenger has vowed that his Arsenal side will give the fans something to cheer about by putting in a strong performance against FC Twente tomorrow night.

Supporters are growing increasingly concerned by the state of the club after seeing a number of established stars leave the Emirates this summer, while the team have already lost ground on the leaders after a lacklustre display in their 1-0 defeat to Fulham at the weekend.

Wenger conceded that his side's performance was way off the required standard and has promised that fans will see an improved Gunners' outfit on show against Steve McClaren's men in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier, which they lead 2-0 from the first leg.

"We were not good on Saturday and we lost the game, it is as simple as that," said Wenger.

"You cannot want the supporters not to take it to heart because we do. We are all very disappointed with our performance.

"We completely understand the critics because we were not good - but we promise we will come back and play well tomorrow, to put a good performance in."

Cesc Fabregas is expected to return to add some much-needed stability to the centre of midfield after shaking off a hamstring injury and is likely to take the place of Emmanuel Eboue, who along with Denilson, endured a torrid afternoon in the middle of the park.

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The Andrei Arshavin saga continues to rumble on, as media reports today suggest the Russian's club Zenit St Petersburg are bringing in a friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in an attempt to attract a bid from the Blues.

The Daily Express understands that UEFA Cup winners Zenit are tired of Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter advertising his client to European clubs - predominantly Tottenham - and have brought in agent German Tkachenko to try and entice Chelsea into making an offer they can't refuse.

Spurs were understood to be in prime position to land Arshavin after boss Juande Ramos personally persuaded the 27-year-old attacker to join his White Hart Lane revolution. But there remained a stumbling block over the price and with the transfer deadline looming, it appears time is against Spurs, with Zenit unwilling to lower their valuation.

Chelsea have also been linked with a move for the Russian but have since pulled out and appear more intent on landing Real Madrid star Robinho. But Zenit are thought to have recruited Tkachenko, a friend of Abramovich's, in a final attempt to entice a bid from the Blues.

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Arsene Wenger insists he will not be forced into buying players for the sake of it amid heavy criticism from some quarters.

Arsenal have endured a difficult start to the season, following up last week's unconvincing 1-0 win over West Brom with a disastrous defeat to Fulham at the weekend.

Having failed to replace the outgoing list of stars, including Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb and Gilberto, Wenger's policy of keeping faith with his young squad has come under intense scrutiny.

But the Frenchman remained defiant and reaffirmed that he would continue to do things his way, rebuffing suggestions that Chelsea's buy, buy, buy approach was the way forward "We have no complex, the names don't impress me," Wenger told the Daily Mail. "What is impressive for me is attitude and quality. The solution is not always to buy. There are no names and no news.

"We do not have to worry about too many other players, I believe in the team I have and in my squad.

"It is not one player that makes the difference it is us as a team. If we find one more we will bring him in, if not we will not limit our ambitions because of that."

Wenger has always defended his slick pass-and-move tactics despite failing to find success in recent years. But he is convinced that it will all come good soon and revealed that he is tipping his side to prove the critics wrong by winning Europe's most prestigious competition, the Champions League.

"I believe strongly that we can win the Champions League because of what I see in training and because I believe we have the quality to do it."

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