Arshavin's not ready for derby day start, says boss Wenger

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The £15million signing will arrive back in the capital tonight after receiving his work permit in time to face Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

But the Gunners boss believes Arshavin may not be ready for the ferocity of a match against their biggest rivals.

"He will be available," said Wenger. "At the moment he is on a plane somewhere because he had to fly back to Russia to get a visa.

"I believe he is talented, intelligent and motivated. When you have these things together, you always have a chance to make an impact.

"You have to give him time as well. He is not fit at the moment because he had only 10 days preparation after a long break.

"I will have reservations about starting him because the worst thing for a player is not being ready to play in a game of that intensity, or getting injured before having kicked a ball for the team.

"I will see what kind of shape he is in tomorrow to see if he will be involved in the squad or not. We are not in a hurry with him."

The Gunners boss also rejected criticism about the transfer being completed 24 hours after the deadline.

He added: "I don't know what can be criticised about the deal. We are used to being criticised but I don't really understand why in this case.

"We have done the deal like any deal has to be done and we have not done anything wrong.

"It was done in the last minute. We have nothing to hide. We just did the deal very late in the afternoon, sent it to the Premier League and they ratified it."

Wenger also claims Spurs have taken a gamble by spending big money on Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Pascal Chimbonda and Wilson Palacios in last month's transfer window.

He said: "A new manager has come in and has different views, different ideas about the players they sold before and you have to accept that.

"I believe they have made a big investment. Every Premier League team which is struggling has a decision to make at Christmas - do we spend the money, take a bit of a financial gamble to stay in the Premier League or not?

"They have certainly made the decision, to stay in the Premier League that they need to strengthen their squad."