Pavlyuchenko loved every single moment at Spurs

Roman Pavlyuchenko had an up-and-down time in his three-and-a-half years at Tottenham Hotspur but the striker claimed he loved every minute of playing for the club.

Pavlyuchenko notched a healthy 41 goals in 113 appearances after moving to White Hart Lane in September 2008 but often found himself down the pecking order of Spurs’ striking stars.

The Russian consistently had a better minutes-per-goal ratio than his fellow forwards but manager Harry Redknapp invariably preferred to start the likes of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch.

Pavlyuchenko also left under a cloud in January 2012, amid reports of a training ground bust-up with Spurs coach Kevin Bond, and forced a move to Lokomotiv Moscow after threatening to sit out the remaining 18 months of his contract.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Yet the 51-cap international did have plenty of good times in north London, including scoring against Inter Milan in the 3-1 Champions League victory in 2010.

“When Gareth Bale, like he was riding a motorcycle, ran along the wing, I was alone in the centre,” said Pavlyuchenko of that Inter goal. “Bale did everything, all I needed was just to score.

“I enjoyed every single moment during my three-and-a-half years there because at every home match the stands were full of fans, even when it was a friendly game.

“This is great for the players, it’s the reason to play and my whole stay at Tottenham was full of pleasure for me.”

Now 34, Pavlyuchenko is plying his trade for Ural Ekaterinburg in his homeland but still keeps an eye on Spurs’ results.

And he sees no reason why the club couldn’t win the Premier League title for the first time this season.

“I think the play of Tottenham can allow them to fight for the gold medal,” added Pavlyuchenko.

“The team has a good chance of winning the Premier League because they have good players and some teams are not showing their best form.”