Harry Redknapp has praised Roman Pavlyuchenko after the substitute scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Sunderland on Sunday, and admits that he does not want to lose the Russian in the upcoming transfer window.

Pavlyuchenko replaced the injured Aaron Lennon at White Hart Lane and converted a Rafael van der Vaart pass to give Spurs the three points in a close encounter.

The attacker has found first team opportunities hard to come by due to the form of Emmanuel Adebayor, and has been linked with a transfer in the new year, but Redknapp wants to keep him in North London.

"He's a fantastic player. He's got real talent. He's got great ability, I think. He's got a good left foot, a good right foot and is a great finisher," Redknapp told Sky Sports after the game.

"He's top drawer, but he's just been unlucky. He didn't start the season great. He hasn't really shown the form that he's capable of so he's slipped down the pecking order a bit.

"It's difficult. Some people are going to be upset they're not in the team.

"Today I lost a wide man, but I thought I'd change it and if you want someone to score he's always likely to. I want to keep all four (strikers). You need them all," he concluded.

Tottenham take on Chelsea next at White Hart Lane on Thursday.

By Gareth McKnight

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