Chelsea pay-off keeps Spurs' silent in Arnesen row

Chelsea have averted the possibility of a three-point penalty after Tottenham accepted a "significant" cash settlement that paves the way for sporting director Frank Arnesen to move across London and join the Premiership champions.

The agreement clears Chelsea of another potential Premier League inquiry after Spurs had threatened to lodge a complaint of an illegal approach unless they received a suitable offer.

Tottenham's stance was prompted by the publication of photographs showing Arnesen relaxing on the yacht belonging to Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

The two clubs were locked in talks right up until yesterday's noon deadline - and even after Chelsea made their offer lawyers from both sides worked deep into the night to fine-tune the agreement.

Tottenham finally confirmed they had reached agreement "in principle" with Chelsea at 10.54pm last night.