Bob Brimson today told his Wolverhampton counterpart: "I'll fight tooth and nail to keep Nicki Pedersen."

Grand Prix star Pedersen skippers Eastbourne Eagles tonight at Wolves (7.30), the club from whom he rides on loan.

Wolves team manager Peter Adams put the cat among the Elite League pigeons by claiming he would offer the Dane a deal to ride for him next season if veteran Swede Peter Karlsson retires.

The surprise announcement might have been timed to increase interest in tonight's match, in which Eagles chase their first away win and fourth bonus point of the campaign.

Or it might have been intended to spark new life from Adams' Wolves line-up, who responded the following night by scoring a shock 51-39 win at Lakeside.

Either way, it is unlikely to soothe the customary hostile reception Pedersen always receives from fans at Wolverhampton, the club where he had a rough time after signing in 2000 and from whom he has ridden on loan ever since.

Adams' statement in the speedway press took Brimson by surprise but the Eagles promoter said: "I don't think Nicki is going anywhere. He loves Eastbourne, we love him.

"If Wolverhampton had looked after him properly when he was there they would never have lost him in the first place. Any team in the world would want Nicki Pedersen."

The third, and possibly most likely, motive for Adams' comments is as an early bargaining stance. He went on to say that if Pedersen turned down his offer to ride, which would appear probable, Wolves would look to sell him to fund a replacement.

Which is where Brimson could have work to do if he is to turn Pedersen's ongoing loan deals into a permanent move at the right price.

The Eagles promoter declared: "I'm quite happy to do some hard bargaining with anybody. I would fight tooth and nail to keep Nicki here.

"He is the best rider in the world, he is totally professional and he's a very intelligent man to have around when you are trying to run a difficult business like speedway.

"Nicki is not completely driven by money. As much as anything it is about being appreciated for him and about being somewhere he is listened to.

"Their fans have never been particualarly fond of him but you never know. Who knows what might happen?"

Pedersen scored 29 points from 11 heats on his two visits to Monmore last season.

But he will be remembered by Wolves fans for missing the first league visit of the year, which Wolves nicked in heat 15, and for a post-race clash with Ronnie Correy as Eagles won there in the Cup.

The Dane made a headbutting gesture towards his opponent, without making contact, and the home club happily showed replays of the incident on the television screens dotted around their impressive main stand as fans waited for the rerun.

Two years ago, Pedersen won all 11 of his races at Wolverhampton and the home faithful might be fearful of a repeat.

Lewis Bridger also has a good record at Wolverhampton and, despite moving into the main body of the team, should get at least five outings if, as expected, Eagles operate riderreplacement for former Monmore record holder David Norris.

Edward Kennett gets another guest booking for Dean Barker.

Although Karlsson looks as good as ever for Wolves, some of their other riders were under pressure for places after their unbeaten home record was surrendered to a Coventry team missing Scott Nicholls last Monday. Their response was impressive as they smashed Lakeside' s perfect home record on Friday as Billy Hamill returned from injury to score a brilliant 14 (5).

Matches between Wolves and Eastbourne tend to be close so Eagles' 22-point lead from the first leg makes them oddson to take the bonus point.

Boss Trevor Geer, however, reckons his side can grab all three tonight by earning their first away win of the season.

Wolves: Peter Karlsson, David Howe, Billy Hamill, Theo Pijper, Freddie Lindgren, Carl Wilkinson, Magnus Karlsson.

Eagles: Nicki Pedersen, Lewis Bridger, David Norris r/r, Edward Kennett, Davey Watt, Cameron Woodward, Stefan Andersson.