Redknapp will not let Pavlyuchenko go without replacement

The Spurs manager says he will not let the Russian leave the club next month and keep his striker options as full as possible.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, says he will not let Roman Pavlyuchenko leave the club next month unless he has already lined up a suitable replacement for the Russia striker.

This week Lokomotiv Moscow were the latest club to be linked with Pavlyuchenko, who wants to leave White Hart Lane to boost his chances of playing for his country at Euro 2012.

The arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor, coupled with the excellent form of Rafael van der Vaart and Jermain Defoe, has meant Pavlyuchenko is yet to start a Premier League game this term.

The 29 year old has played mostly in the Europa League but Spurs are now on the brink of elimination from the competition.

Several clubs could bid for Pavlyuchenko when the transfer window opens on January 1, but Redknapp does not want to damage his side's chances of a top-four finish by leaving himself short of strikers.

Redknapp said: "If he decides he wants to go and the club get a good offer then we've got to be ready to replace him."

Spurs have been linked with a number of strikers in recent months, including Chelsea's Didier Drogba, his China-bound teammate Nicolas Anelka, and Brazil international Leandro Damiao.

Redknapp also hinted that he would launch a new bid for Bolton Wanderers centre-half Gary Cahill, but the Spurs manager said he has not given chairman Daniel Levy a January wish-list.

Spurs will move six points clear of Chelsea with a victory at Stoke City today, and they also have the chance to break a couple of club records.

Avoiding defeat will mean they have gone 12 league matches unbeaten for the first time in the Premier League era, and a win will see them record seven straight victories for the first time since 1967.

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