Pavlyuchenko – treated badly or not good enough?

Roman Pavlyuchenko arrived at Tottenham in August last year from Spartak Moscow after having a pretty impressive Euro 2008 with Russia.

Decent

Although he set Tottenham back £14 million, most people thought that the twenty-seven year old striker was a decent signing.

So far this season Pavlyuchenko has made just six appearances for Tottenham in all competitions and managed just the one goal. To be fair, he only scored five goals in his twenty-eight league appearances last season, although he had a really impressive record in cup games.

Disappointing

That scoring record is disappointing as he wasn’t far short of a goal every other game in his five years in Moscow and he has bagged fifteen in thirty-one for Russia. There is no doubt that Tottenham were expecting more for their money.

The other way of looking at the facts is that the current Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp didn’t sign him and hasn’t given him a fair crack of the whip. It is clear that Redknapp rates Defoe, Keane and Crouch way above Pavlyuchenko and that the Russian is unlikely to ever get a decent run of games, which is, as we all know, what strikers need to find their form.

Relationship

The relationship at Tottenham has obviously broken down completely and any chance Pavlyuchenko had of making it at the North London club seems to have been removed after an interview he has given to a Russian newspaper.

“I want to leave the club. It is impossible to remain there. I’ve been on the bench and as a result lost a place in the national team. I want to play, not just warm the bench. Our manager does not talk to me on the matter. At the start of the season our manager said that four forwards is exactly the optimal number, but now he states that three is enough. And I am the fourth one so it is obvious that I should part with the club. The only thing that can stand in the way is unmanageable price. But I will insist on leaving. The important thing now is to reach a compromise that will be suitable for the club and me, and my future club.”

It would appear that there is no way back for Pavlyuchenko at Tottenham and that he will be moving on in January. Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in taking the striker on loan, presumably as they have tried and failed with all the other Tottenham strikers other than Defoe!

Difficult

Pavlyuchenko is obviously a very good player and he hasn’t become a bad player overnight. Many players find it difficult to settle in the Premier League and adjust to English football but he seems to be having more trouble than most. His team-mate at Euro 2008, Andriy Arshavin has made a terrific impact at Arsenal and shown that it is possible for Russian players to thrive in the Premier League.

So who is to blame? Is Pavlyuchenko simply not good enough or has he been treated badly by Harry Redknapp and Tottenham.

Successful

If he does move on to another Premier League club will he be successful there, or is not possible for him to cut it at that level?