Football: Anderton turns down contract

DARREN ANDERTON last night vowed to stay at White Hart Lane even if Tottenham try to sell him after turning down their offer of a new contract.

The England winger's current deal expires at the end of next season and he can leave in the summer on a free transfer. Spurs have implied they would rather make him available to offers this season than lose him for nothing in June.

Anderton said: "I want to stay at Tottenham and I'm confident I will. Certainly I'll be here all this season as far as I'm concerned because I intend to honour my contract. My thinking at the moment is that if the manager says `we want to sell you to so and so' I'll just say `no thanks'."

Meanwhile, after weeks of haggling, Liverpool have accepted Tottenham's pounds 3m offer for Oyvind Leonhardsen. The Norwegian midfielder has agreed terms with the Spurs manager, George Graham.

Andreas Andersson ended his unhappy two-year spell at Newcastle United by going home to Sweden to sign for AIK Stockholm in a pounds 2m deal last night.

The striker failed to live up to his teenage promise with the St James' Park club and was out of favour with Ruud Gullit, who allowed him to leave after a summer of heavy spending.