Roman Pavlyuchenko's miserable stay at Spurs seems to be at an end, after the Russian international launched an amazing tirade in which he accused his manager, Harry Redknapp, of "mocking him."
The striker joined Spurs on the last day of last summer's transfer window for a fee of £13.8 million from Spartak Moscow. Both Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov had left for pastures new and Ramos faced the rest of the season without a recognised striker. Hence the panic buy by Damien Commolli.
Pavlyuchenko struggled to settle in a Spurs team that had just lost it's best two players and as Ramos lurched from one disaster to another, Tottenham found themselves at the foot of the table after the club's worst start to a league campaign since 1912.
Ramos and Commolli were both eventually sacked and replaced by the experienced Redknapp and the new manager quickly replaced the misfiring Pavlyuchenko with returning strikers Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane.
With Spurs struggling against the threat of relegation, and with Pavlyuchenko knowing very little English, Redknapp went for the tried and trusted. Unfortunately for the Russian it meant him becoming a peripheral figure as Spurs began to scale the league to safety.
This season has seen Tottenham get off to their best start in decades and as the year turns they are in real contention to break into the Champions League positions.
Spurs have been fired to the top of the league by a trio of inform strikers as Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane, and Peter Crouch scored 25 goals between them to leave Roman Pavlyuchenko a solitary figure on the bench.
This isolation has seen Pavlyuchenko and his agent out looking for prospective teams for a transfer in January. So far both Zenit St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow have shown their interest, but at a knockdown price from the £13.8 million Spurs first paid for the star.
Daniel Levy has made it known to both Russian teams that he will not accept less than £13 million for the player, as he is still sore at Spartak for driving up the price last summer as they took advantage of Spurs needing to sign a striker quickly.
Facing the real possibility that he might not move in January, Pavlyuchenko has now played the only card he has left to force a transfer by launching an amazing tirade against Redknapp.
Pavlyuchenko said: “You cannot even imagine how tired I am of sitting on the bench. I so much want to play football!"
“Do you want to hear the most recent joke in London? It is this: Harry Redknapp put Roman Pavlyuchenko into the starting line up.
“For me it would be funny if it was not so painful . I have a feeling that our manager is mocking me.”
Pavlyuchenko clearly feels Redknapp has something against him and bitterly recalled the Carling Cup defeat at Old Trafford.
He added: “On the eve of the Cup match with Manchester United on December 1 he (Redknapp) asked me to come to see him."
“He said: ’Tomorrow there will be a chance to show your best in front of 75,000 spectators. We need to use it.’ And he used it by keeping me on the bench all 90 minutes.”
Pavlyuchenko even told a leading Moscow newspaper that his New Year wish is that he can tell Redknapp: “I am going to leave England.”
The Russian striker’s outburst against Redknapp may now force Tottenham’s hand into selling him as Pavlyuchenko is clearly desperate to quit.
Pavlychenko’s agent Oleg Artemov said three Russian clubs are targeting the player but claims that Spurs will only sell him for around £13million and do not want a loan switch despite him not getting a look-in under Redknapp.
Artemov said: “Tottenham is prepared to negotiate selling Roman but they do not agree even to consider a loan deal."
“There is a possibility of his return to Russia in January where three teams are interested in him.”
One move they would interest Spurs, but probably not Pavlyuchenko, is the story of a swap deal involving Liverpool's Ryan Babel.
Redknapp is a known admirer of the young Dutchman who has suffered his own torrid time under Rafael Benitez. The youngster first signed for Liverpool in 2007 for £11.5 million.
However, Benitez appears to have lost interest in the player and over the last two seasons he has become a incidental figure at the club. He too has spoken out against his current manager to engineer a transfer and would probably jump at the chance to join Spurs, who have no natural left-sided players.
For Pavlyuchenko, the move could hinge on when Fernando Torres decides to elect for surgery on his damaged hernia. An operation would leave the striker out for approximately ten weeks and the Russian would easily lay claim to the starting position with Torres out.
In truth he will be little more than being anything but cover for Torres when the striker is fully fit and for this reason the move is unlikely.
When all is said and done Roman Pavlyuchenko has no future at Spurs under Harry Redknapp. His three striking partners are all better players and he will never get the chance to usurp them all.
A move is his only chance to play regular football and if Spurs can get good money for the striker, a deal will be worked.
Time to separate for club and player and put an end to this chapter.
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