James Beattie has no intention of apologising for his part in the dressing-room row with the Stoke City manager, Tony Pulis, at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and looks increasingly likely to leave when the transfer window reopens next month.

That scenario is likely to suit Pulis as well as Beattie, with the two parties remaining at loggerheads despite the manager calling a clear-the-air meeting at the training ground yesterday.

During that meeting Pulis is understood to have apologised for his behaviour to the first-team players, although he has not apologised directly to Beattie after he squared up to the striker and became involved in an altercation in which punches were thrown. There had been erroneous suggestions that Beattie had apologised to Pulis for his actions, prompting an adviser to the 31-year-old to issue a statement today clarifying the player's position: "A meeting was called by the manager yesterday. James Beattie did not apologise."

It is understood that Beattie sees no reason to say sorry for his conduct and, furthermore, is aggrieved and disappointed that Stoke have suggested otherwise. The forward believes Pulis was the aggressor in an incident that occurred after the manager ordered the players to report for duty yesterday. Beattie, who had organised the club's Christmas party for the Saturday night, had been under the impression that the first team would not be training until the Tuesday and, when Pulis overheard the player publicly criticise him in the dressing room, it sparked an extraordinary fracas.

Stoke have launched an investigation into the incident although there is no set timescale and it may be that the conclusion is for Beattie to leave in January. He had previously intimated that he would be interested in extending his deal at the club, which runs out at the end of next season, but there is no chance of that now happening. It could be that his second-half appearance in the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal will be the last time he pulled on a Stoke shirt.

Though Beattie reported for training as normal today and took part in a session with the rest of the first-team squad, his relationship with Pulis seems fractured beyond repair.

There is likely to be interest from other clubs, but whether Stoke can recoup the £3.5m they paid for the former Blackburn, Southampton, Everton and Sheffield United player remains to be seen.

Having made a major impact when he scored seven goals in 16 league appearances last season to haul Stoke clear of the relegation zone, Beattie has struggled this term. He has managed only two goals in 15 appearances, both coming in the 2-1 victory over West Ham United in October, and he has started the last two matches on the substitutes' bench. He is, nonetheless, a popular figure among the Stoke players and supporters.