Arshavin is hoping his whine will bear fruit

Andrei Arshavin is praying his "whining" will convince Zenit St Petersburg to sell him to Tottenham.

The Russia forward agreed personal terms with Spurs but the move collapsed because their £12.5million bid fell well short of the £21m Zenit are demanding.

Arshavin is desperate for the deal to be resurrected and said: "This price tag has frightened everybody off. Only Tottenham have dared continue negotiations.

There is nothing more to do now other than hope for a miracle. I'm just hoping that one morning my bosses will wake up in a good mood and say: 'We've had enough of Arshavin's whining - let's let him go'."

Arshavin revealed Spurs coach Juande Ramos had sold him the idea of joining Spurs. "When Tottenham made their offer I was sceptical," he said.

"But after Ramos called me personally and told me they were selling Robbie Keane and that he wanted me in his side, the situation changed. When a renowned coach shows an interest in you then that is already half of the success of any move.

"I also like the way Tottenham play, so I agreed in principle to join.

"A short while later, a representative from Spurs arrived to discuss my contract and we agreed on everything quickly. Only then did my asking price go up."

Zenit coach Dick Advocaat believes a deal can still be done. He said: "I am sure Tottenham will be back to make another, more suitable offer."