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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will consider signing only players of "a special class" during the transfer window.

Wenger is attempting to strengthen his squad and give Arsenal an injection of vitality as they bid to break into the Barclays Premier League top four. They are currently fifth, three points behind Aston Villa and Manchester United.

Wenger already believes his squad is strong, and has been impressed by the youngsters who have made their mark this season.

He told www.arsenal.com: "At the moment I feel that if we do add somebody we need to add somebody who has a special class, because we have good players.

"[For example] take a player like (Aaron) Ramsey. They show that they grow. Of course they still show lapses, a lack of experience, but they have quality and they can grow quickly."

The French boss has been linked with the likes of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Everton's Mikel Arteta.

Wenger will not worry if his targets are cup-tied for this season's Champions League.

He said: "I would like to think longer term. If the right player comes in, even if he is not available for the Champions League, his class is more important for me."

Blyth Spartans chairman Tony Platten believes Blackburn's players will not know what to expect against his side.

The Blue Square North strugglers performed heroics to see off Shrewsbury and Bournemouth to secure a tie with Sam Allardyce's side.

On paper the Premier League side should win at a canter, but Platten is hoping a cauldron of noise inside Blyth's Croft Park ground could inspire one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all time.

"The Blackburn players won't know what to expect with a tight little ground, packed to the rafters, a pitch that is not to Premier League standard and a changing room that isn't anywhere near the standard of the Premier League's palatial changing rooms," said Platten.

"All things being equal, we've got a great chance. Looking at the teams on paper, Blackburn should win hands down but this is the FA Cup after all and it's 11 players against 11 players and we've always got a chance."

When Platten arrived at Blyth in 2001 the club were riddled with debt and close to going out of business.

Nearly eight years later and Spartans are about to host a multi-million pound Blackburn side in the biggest game in the club's history.

Blyth got to the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1978 before losing to Wrexham in a replay at Newcastle's St James' Park.

However, Platten insists the board never considered staging the game elsewhere this time around and believes it is testament to how far the club have come that they will be playing the game at their compact Croft Park ground.

"It's been a phenomenal effort to get the ground ready and we never considered staging the game at St James' Park," Platten added.

"We have done a lot of work on the ground in the last six years and we passed all the tests with flying colours."

Just over 4,000 fans are expected to pack in to see if manager Harry Dunn's side can do the unthinkable and knock Blackburn out.

The Blyth players of 31 years ago wrote their names into FA Cup folklore with their exploits and Platten believes the current crop have the perfect opportunity to become heroes.

"It's probably the greatest day in the club's history with the fact that it's the first time we will be playing against Premier League opposition," said Platten.

"A lot has been made of what we did 31 years ago but then it was not a first division team so this is absolutely massive for us.

"Football is so different now to what it was then. The gulf between the lower leagues and the Premier League is 10 times what it was back then.

"Without a doubt this has cast a millstone around the neck of the players. Now they can put that behind them and say that we've matched what happened then."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admits he would keep Jermain Defoe at Portsmouth if he was still in charge at Fratton Park.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie have been in talks over the 26-year-old, who wants a move back to White Hart Lane after leaving just over a year ago.

"The chairman and Peter Storrie are trying to do a deal," said Redknapp, ahead of Spurs' Carling Cup semi-final against Burnley. "Unless they do a deal, we'll move on. If they want to do a deal they will.

"It's their choice to say he is not for sale. I wouldn't have sold him if I was manager at Portsmouth and Tottenham came back in, I'd be keeping him."

Redknapp's reaction formed part of his defence when asked if he has unsettled players at other teams.

Another Redknapp target who wants to leave his current club is winger Stewart Downing, who has submitted a transfer request to Middlesbrough.

"It's the same (with Stewart Downing), I wouldn't sell him if I didn't want to," Redknapp said.

"If they want to leave, they have their reasons. If Defoe has got reasons why he wants to come back to Tottenham, fine."

Boro labelled Levy's initial offer as "derisory" but Redknapp added: "The chairman has made a big offer but Middlesbrough are a good club with a great chairman and if he doesn't want to sell him, it's his right to do that."

Redknapp is desperate to bolster his squad for the second part of the season, with the first-leg clash against Burnley highlighting his problems.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Jermaine Jenas are suspended, while Tom Huddlestone's ankle injury and Darren Bent's groin problem mean they join Alan Hutton on the sidelines.

Skipper Ledley King could also rest his knee ahead of the Barclays Premier League clash against Wigan at the weekend, with Spurs desperately needing points to climb away from the relegation zone.

It means Fraizer Campbell and Roman Pavlyuchenko, Redknapp's only fit senior strikers, are set to start in attack.

"They performed well in their last match together and I was pleased with the partnership they struck up," Redknapp said. "They did well against Liverpool earlier in the competition as well."

Midfielder Hossam Ghaly is in contention for a place in the squad, despite the angry reaction from Spurs fans when he stripped off to come on as a substitute in the FA Cup win over Wigan. Redknapp was forced to bring on a different player instead.

Supporters remembered when he threw his shirt to the ground in his last appearance two seasons ago, after being brought off the bench and getting replaced again.

"I don't think he was being disrespectful to Tottenham. I've seen other players take their shirts off when they get taken off," Redknapp said.

"He was just was very annoyed at being brought on and then subbed. Who wouldn't be annoyed? That is as low as you can go.

"If you're supposed to have a smile on your face then you're in the wrong game. That was a rarity. People should forgive and forget - let's move on."

Against Burnley, Spurs want to avoid being the Coca-Cola Championship side's fourth top-flight scalp. The other teams have also been from London.

"They've done well," Redknapp said. "I watched them on Saturday against QPR and they are well organised and have experienced players.

"They've had a fantastic run - Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal - so we won't be underestimating them."

espnstar.com takes a look back at some of the most memorable sporting moments we have witnessed in 2008.

Michael Phelps

The powerful swimmer from United States dominated headlines from start to end at the Beijing Olympics with his eight gold medal tally which gave him the proud record of most gold medals won by an athlete at a single Olympic Games.

Never has swimming looked so glamorous until Phelps came along.

Rafael Nadal

Known for years as the undisputed ‘King of Clay', Nadal finally had his breakthrough year by not only defending his French Open title but also adding his first Wimbledon triumph to a bulging trophy cabinet.

In doing so, Nadal overtook Swiss ace, Roger Federer's reign as the World No.1 ranked male player on the circuit.

Abhinav Bindra

The Indian sharpshooter wrote his name into the history books by winning India's first Olympic gold medal for 28 years.

Bindra trounced his opponents in the 10-metre Air Rifle event in Beijing as the entire nation stood as one to cheer him on and rally him to victory.

Lewis Hamilton

At the tender age of 22, Hamilton gave his all and won the coveted Formula 1 Drivers' Championship to become the youngest ever driver to take the title.

Singapore Grand Prix

The Lion City hosted its first ever Formula 1 race to great success.

What made it all the more magical was that it was also the first ever night race in the sport's history.

Sir Alex Ferguson

The wily Scotsman took his beloved Manchester United to a Barclays Premier League and Champions League double in 2008 with his side playing some of the most scintillating football in Europe.

Armed with star players Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, Ferguson's side dominated their domestic and European rivals throughout the year and recently added the FIFA Club World Cup title to be bestowed the title of ‘World Club Champions'.

Usain Bolt

The Jamaican sprinter who left everyone breathless and trailing in his wake as he sped off with the 100 and 200m gold medals at the Olympics in world record time.

He capped off his amazing treble by helping Jamaica win the 4x400 metres gold medal to make it a golden treble in Beijing.

Giving him the nickname "Lightning Bolt" was rather appropriate.

So here are some of the sporting moments in 2008 which have captured our hearts at espnstar.com so what about you?

Send us your comments at streettalk@espnstar.com

A late try by Filo Tiatia gave Ospreys a deserved 16-12 victory over Cardiff Blues in an enthralling local derby.

The hosts led 9-8 at the interval thanks to two Ben Blair penalties and a Nicky Robinson drop goal, Lee Byrne crossing for the visitors.

Blair and James Hook added a penalty apiece after the break but Hook's fizzing pass allowed number eight Tiatia to drive over out wide and seal the win.

Blues full-back Blair landed his furst penalty after just two minutes, Ospreys responding through fly-half Dan Biggar, and both players missed further kicks before Blair restored his side's lead.

Biggar's agility and sleight of hand kept the ball alive before Tommy Bowe fed Byrne and the Wales number 15, in a rare outing on the wing, stepped inside flanker Maama Molitika to touch down.

The Blues' own prodigy, 20-year-old Leigh Halfpenny - on for the injured Blair - raced through the visitors' defence on a mazy 50-yard gallop and a drop goal by Robinson ensured his good work did not go totally unrewarded and gave the home side a narrow half-time lead.

Cardiff scored next, however, after a remarkable 60-yard break by Tom James had been ended illegally by Byrne, who received a yellow card while Robinson slotted over the penalty.

A long-range kick by Hook kept Ospreys in touch and it needed two despairing tackles by Halfpenny to save the day as the visitors threw themselves into the search for a winning score.

Their sustained pressure was rewarded with barely five minutes left, a superb long pass from Hook finding Tiatia on the left to dive over.

Despite their last-ditch efforts, the Blues were unable to respond and the visitors were able to underline their status as the best team in Wales.

The Detroit Pistons shook off a rash of injuries to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games with an 83-75 win over the New Jersey Nets last night.

All-Star Richard Hamilton sat out a third straight game due to a groin injury, forward Antonio McDyess was sidelined by a rib injury and centre Rasheed Wallace left early in the second quarter with a sore foot but strong defence and a fine second-half performance by Allen Iverson ensured that Detroit's hot run continued.

The Pistons, who have allowed just 83.8 points per game during their winning streak, held the Nets to 11 points and forced four turnovers in the second quarter before Iverson got hot in the second half, when he made 17 of his 19 points.

The Nets were not helped by the loss of Vince Carter, who was ejected for the second time in his career after picking up back-to-back technical fouls in the second quarter. Carter had to be restrained by teammate Devin Harris and coach Lawrence Frank before leaving the floor.

The Orlando Magic moved to within two and a half games of the first-placed Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference with a 113-94 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Rashard Lewis scored 21 points, Hedo Turkoglu had 18 and Dwight Howard added 15 and 14 rebounds as the Magic ended 2009 in third place in the Eastern Conference and top of the Southeast Division.

Yao Ming had 22 points and 11 boards and All-Star guard Tracy McGrady chipped in with 10 assists and seven points despite struggling with a bad knee as the Houston Rockets held off a late comeback by the Milwaukee Bucks for an 85-81 win.

In Toronto, Nene collected 21 points and seven rebounds, Carmelo Anthony had 19 and Chauncey Billups added 16 points and seven assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 114-107 win over the Raptors.

Second-year forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green combined for 51 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped a five-game losing skid and claimed only their fourth win of the season with a 107-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Finally, Andre Iguodala scored 14 of his 28 points in the final seven minutes and added seven assists and seven rebounds to help the Philadelphia 76ers end a season-high four-game skid with a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lewis Hamilton felt "humbled" to have received an MBE in the New Year Honours and declared: "It has been quite a year".

Volatile John Daly has been suspended from the US PGA Tour for six months, according to multiple reports.

The ban is reportedly for conduct that has brought unwelcome publicity to the tour, including an incident in October when he spent a night in jail in North Carolina sobering up after being taken into custody at a local Hooters restaurant.

Daly, who is a two-time major championship winner, was previously suspended from the tour in 1992-93. He has battled alcohol and weight problems throughout his career.

The 42-year-old will continue to play on the European tour.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is willing to go through January without adding to his squad if the price is not right.

Redknapp, who has already had a big turned down for West Ham's Craig Bellamy, has revealed that he has a "very short list" of players he wants to target when the transfer window opens.

Jermaine Defoe is a player Redknapp knows from West Ham and Portsmouth, and the Spurs boss said: "It's not finished but if they don't want to sell him it's up to them, I'm not going to upset the applecart.

"If they say 'we'll have that' then we can do something. If they say 'we don't want to sell him' then it's end of story."

As well as a striker, Redknapp also wants a left-sided midfielder and a reserve goalkeeper, with Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing falling into the first category.

"If they want to sell him and the chairman can agree a fee - great," Redknapp said. "If not, forget it."

Redknapp, who has a track record of shrewd January buys, added: "You get agents calling up offering players and it would only cost you your job if you took them.

"I know exactly what I want and it is a waste of time calling up for anyone else. I have a very short list of players that interest me and if we can get them then great.

"We've made enquiries about one or two players but the prices we've been quoted are too much money and I wouldn't put my name to the chairman paying too much money.

"I know what they are worth and I wouldn't pay any more. If we can't get them we'll sit tight - we've got good players here."

In the meantime, Redknapp could look at his fringe players such as Adel Taarabt, who he describes as a "genius".

The French youngster was not even given a squad number under former Juande Ramos but he is set to be given his chance and is in the squad for Friday's FA Cup clash against Wigan.

"If we can get him playing he is a genius," Redknapp said. "He's an amazing talent, I've not seen too many with that type of skill in my life. It's frightening.

"It's a case of trying to find a position for him and getting him fit enough to play. Getting him to do a bit when he hasn't got the ball - but he's only a kid.

"This is a real talent. A match-winner. So I'm sure we're going to see a bit of him in the next couple of weeks."

With only three senior strikers at the club, Redknapp has also lined up Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent in training in an attempt to build a partnership between the pair.

"It has to work because we only have three strikers," Redknapp said. "They have to play together. It's something we have to do because there is no-one else here."

Redknapp also has Giovani dos Santos back in training but Tom Huddlestone is out with an ankle injury and Jermaine Jenas' calf makes him a doubt.

Skipper Ledley King will not feature against Wigan and Redknapp has to decide whether to field him against Burnley next week in the Carling Cup semi-final or save him for Spurs' Barclays Premier League relegation battle.