Andrei Arshavin - Arsenal Football Superstar

Andrei Arshavin Transfer Rumours

2011-01-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin Transfer Rumours

Rumours abound about Andrei Arshavin's future with Arsenal and English football. He hasn't been playing well consistently and has apparently been booed by some sections of the Arsenal fans. You get a feeling too that if he has made up his mind to go then he will be on his way. Although he'll have to get a move on if he is to beat the January transfer deadline.

The rumours are that he may be off to Italy, or back to St. Petersburg on a loan deal or according to the News of the World that Roman Abramovich is keen to sign him for Chelsea. Chelsea could do with a bit of refreshing in midfield and Arsenal seem to manage quite well now without Andrei Arshavin.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that Arshavin is currently experiencing problems: “He is going through a period that is a bit difficult at the moment, but he works very hard in training.” There are less than 18 months remaining on his contract too.
Arshavin in Blue?

Igor Korneev at Zenit St. Petersburg has said “With Andrey, it is very simple. He graduated from our club and the doors are always open for him. We would always welcome him back to the club, whether that is now or in the future.”

Personally I would be sorry to see Arshavin leave Arsenal, in many ways he seems ideally suited to the club and he seemed a good transfer for Wenger, but the fact is that Arsenal was not Arshavin's first choice and maybe that has had an effect and also his form is a bit inconsistent to say the least.

Here are his thoughts on the Arsenal Wigan match, from his official website.

Arsenal 3-0 Wigan Athletic

AA: The day turned out well for us. We won.
Also today Julia and I went to see the play of the "Sovremennik" theater - "A Steep Route ". I am glad that today in London, I managed to get acquainted with such respectable people as Galina Volchek and Valentin Gaft. Once again I got added evidence that our dramatic art is the best in the world.

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Arshavin Out for Three Weeks

2010-03-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

Barcelona Hammer the Gunners

[UPDATE : The scan on Cesc Fabregas's leg has shown that he has a small crack in his fibula - he will miss the rest of the season - one more injury for Arsenal to have to deal with - and he may also be out of the Spanish World Cup squad]

[A fibula and a tibia - not Cesc Fabregas's]

Arsenal were very fortunate to still be in this tie after the end of the match, but they also finished with a number of players seriously injured. A deluded cynic would say that Barcelona let Arsenal score a couple to make the second leg more interesting.

Arsenal were hammered by Barcelona and the statistics are embarrassing, with Barcelona having over 60% possession and making about 4 times as many passes as Arsenal. The man of the match was IMHO Almunia, despite letting in two goals (one of them pretty soft), as he kept out 4 or 5 goals in the first half and kept Arsenal in the match.

Walcott changed things when he came on and Arsenal managed to claw themselves back into the tie.

Arshavin was injured after just 27 minutes and was substituted, Gallas was also substituted with a recurrence of his calf injury and will probably miss the rest of the season.

Fabregas ended up with a potentially even worse injury 5 minutes before the end of the match when he was fouled in the box. He scored from the penalty spot to make the score 2-2 but he fears he make have broken something in his leg. The X-ray was inconclusive and he will be having more scans today.

Barcelona will be annoyed they let Arsenal back into the match as both their central defenders will have to sit out the return leg in Barcelona due to picking up too many cards. This is the only ray of hope for Arsenal who will have to improve a lot if they are to have any chance of beating Barcelona. A draw will not be good enough unless it is 3-3 or 4-4.

Arshavin's injury is also a calf strain and he says he will probably be out for 2 or 3 weeks.

Andrei Arshavin Arsenal Questions Answers

2010-03-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin Arsenal Question and Answer Session

Andrei Arshavin had another excellent game against Porto the other day and played a large part in getting Arsenal through to the European Championship quarter-finals, setting up Nikolas Bendtner so that he couldn't miss and may yet help Arsenal be Premier League champions for the first time in a long time - so money well spent if that happens !

Andrei Arshavin (correct spelling of his name in English by the way, despite what Sky News and Arsenal would have you believe - Andrey Arshavin is an incorrect transliteration of the original Russian) will be present along with another first team player at a question and answer session organized by Arsenal's official membership scheme on Thursday 25th March at the Emirates Stadium.

I would expect you can expect to get straight answers to your questions from Mr Arshavin as Russians are known for their no-nonsense approach. The Q and A session will last for an hour from 6.30pm – 7.30pm in the Club’s Media Centre.

To be in with a chance of attending all you have to do is complete the application form on the official site - http://www.arsenal.com/membership/membership-news/exclusive-members-player-qanda?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arsenal-news+%28News+Feed%29 . To ask a question just include it on the application form.

If your question is selected you will be notified in your confirmation email.

Deadline for getting your application froms in is Monday 22nd March and you will find out if you have been successful via email by Tuesday 23rd March.

Please note the Q&A session with Andrei Arshavin is nothing to do with this site - we have merely put this inforation up as a public service for people looking for information on Andrei Arshavin. The official Andrei Arshavin site by the way is Arshavin.eu.

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Arshavin Says Yes We Can

2010-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Arshavin Says Yes We Can !

After Arsenal's 1 - 0 win over Liverpool Andrei Arshavin is more upbeat about Arsenal's - da vozmozhno ! - he might have said (Yes, it is possible). Not sure if that's what he actually said but certainly words to that effect.

On his site he says "The gap was reduced to 6 points ... but we need to win all remaining games. It is difficult to say whether it’s real. Back to Liverpool game, .... I liked the way we played today. We were not afraid to play, the whole team was well-coordinated, if I can say so, all Arsenal players played the same football, that is, we understood each other and combined."

"I didn't see the goal because of my injury. I was in the room under the stands with the doctors. While we were looking for a TV remote, Diaby scored. I think he scored a beautiful goal that brought us an important victory."

How serious is his injury?
"It is hard to say, I’ll have my leg scanned tomorrow."

It appears in fact that Arshavin will be on the sidelines for a while after picking up a hamstring injury against Liverpool.

Arsene Wenger said after the game "Arshavin has a hamstring problem... We have to make a scan on Arshavin tomorrow."

Arshavin came off in the 67th minute of the match.

Samir Nasri was also injured and replaced by Tomas Rosicky after 33 minutes with a head injury.

Arsene Wenger said : "Nasri had a knock on his head. He felt unwell and I didn't want to take a chance because it was his head. That's why I took him off. He wanted to stay on but he felt sick so I didn't want to take a chance."

So it's game on for the Gunners, except they may be without Arshavin for a while. Arsenal have an easier run-in though as they have already played all their games against the other big 3, whereas Chelsea Man Utd and Liverpool all have to play each other at least once.

So maybe they will do it after all ! Da vozmozhno !

Rumours are doing the rounds again that Fabregas may be moving to Barcelona at the end of the season, but they sound a bit warmed up to me.

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Why Arshavin Says What He Does

2010-02-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

Why Andrei Arshavin Speaks His Mind About Arsenal

Some people may be surprised or even shocked at the way that Arshavin speaks his mind about what he thinks is right and wrong with his team Arsenal. In general, in English football, players tend not to criticize their own teams and try to be upbeat and positive at all times.

Leo Tolstoy - possibly the greatest Russian writer - (1828 - 1910)
But Arshavin is Russian, and Russians tend to speak their minds, quite often in such direct terms that they may appear rude, but they are not being rude, they are just being brief and to the point. Russia is the land of Gogol (born in the Ukraine) Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin , Lermontov, Chekhov, Turgenev, Pasternak, Mayakovsky, Gorky, Bulgakov, Tvardovsky, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn and many more. For the whole list of great Russian writers see - Russian literature. Russians generally don't beat about the bush. If they've got something to say they say it. They do not stand on ceremony and if they don't agree with you they will let you know. They don't mind annoying you and in fact find the English way of trying to be polite or noncommittal and trying not to offend anyone, incomprehensible and even wimpish. Russians just tell it like it is.

So what does Arshavin think about Arsenal?

First he says he is not being used to the best of his ability as a lone striker, which is true, that is not why he was signed.

As a result he says the Gunners' Premier League challenge is faltering, that is also true.

He said to the Daily Mail "If Arsenal want to become champions, how can they select Arshavin as centre forward?'".

The change in position is due of course to injuries to Arsenal's leading forwards.

"It's from frustration," Arshavin said 'Van Persie is injured and unlikely to play again this season.
"Eduardo is injured too, but he may be ready to face Chelsea. We are in a difficult situation when it comes to recruiting players."

"Third place is where we stand today, and that is already a great success for Arsenal when you take into account the class of our 11 players," he added. "Of course, we try to win every match, but class is class."

As for Gael Clichy he says Nani tormented the Frenchman in their match against Man Utd. "In training it is very difficult for me to beat Clichy, but Nani made all the play through him."

He also said, however in an exclusive interview with thesportreview.com - - “I still believe [that Arsenal can win the Premier League], but the recent games are making it more difficult for my dreams to come true,” said the 28-year-old. After the Chelsea and Liverpool games the situation will become clearer.” And not with him up front.

At the end of the interview he sounds a bit frustrated. When asked if he will spend the rest of his career at Arsenal he says “Why not? My adaptation to English football has been OK more or less, but I want to win something.”

Arshavin during Arsenal v Stoke

Today Arsenal play Chelsea and they really need to win. So perhaps Arshavin could be direct up front and not beat about the bush in front of goal, as Arsenal usually do !

Arshavin on Arsenal's Chances

2010-02-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Arshavin on Arsenal's Chances

What was Andrei Arshavin's assessment of the match (or should that be mis-match) against Man. Utd. ?

"Man. Utd. controlled mid-field and moved quickly from defence to attack. They also scored three times. They outplayed us. It was a very good match for Nani ...

They were stronger than us. We tried to fight back and not give up.

It’s getting even harder to believe that we can win first place after such defeats." - edited from the Arshavin official website - Arshavin.eu

Arshavin also said he hopes Arsenal will do better against Chelsea and Liverpool as this is a critical juncture in the season.

In our humble opinion Arsenal got a bit of a thrashing from Man Utd on Sunday - 1:3

The main reason being that Arsenal were ineffective in front of goal, where they often seem to see scoring a goal as the last resort only to be attempted if they run out of passes. Given the opportunity they seem to prefer to pass the ball to someone else rather than actually trying to get it into the back of the net. Maybe this is the philosophical approach to the game where the number of intricate and complicated passes is seen as being more important than the number of goals ? After all, in the words of the Dalai Lama "Life is like a beanstalk".

Let's face it, if Arsenal can't beat Liverpool then the game is up and they don't deserve to win the league. A draw against Chelsea would be a good result, but Arsenal will need to wake up, although John Terry on the naughty step might help.

Arshavin did OK in the match against Man. Utd. but the team as a whole seemed to lack penetration and at this moment in time the race for the league title is looking like a two horse race.

Arshavin Says Arsenal Need Players

2009-12-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Disturbed at Arsenal's Form

To my mind Andrei Arshavin has been quiet in the last few Arsenal matches and it appears he is not too happy about the situation at Arsenal, or maybe he just noticed we haven't been updating this blog. After their 3-0 defeat gainst Chelsea, Arsenal are now a long way behind the league leaders and it will take a minor miracle for them to win the league, they might even struggle to make the top four if their form doesn't improve, all the more so as Van Persie is out for 5 months.

Arshavin, never one for hiding his light under a bushel appears to be telling Wenger how to do his job, saying bringing in new players is the best option for Arsenal to close the gap.

"Arsene Wenger needs to buy new players - and expensive ones too," he said to the Mirror. "Why? because all the talented and inexpensive players are already with us at Arsenal.

“I feel bitter about that we lose all the big matches. That is disturbing and also lets certain doubts creep into my mind.

"Chelsea are now 11 points ahead of us and they look the strongest team. They have attacking players who can make use of opponents’ slightest defensive mistakes. Didier Drogba is the strongest in the world."

Wenger has said that he will be looking for a striker in January.

Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh, Toulouse's Andre-Pierre Gignac, Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli, Loic Remy and Klass-Jan Huntelaar have all been linked with a moved to Arsenal.

"Robin’s injury has to affect my thoughts for January," he said. “It has to because I didn’t feel we were in the need to buy, but we will be out on the market that is for sure. But I will only make a decision if it suits us.”

There is also vague talk that Arshavin may be off to Barcelona or Inter Milan if Arsenal don't win anything. He is not too happy that Russia was dumped out of the World Cup. “It is still difficult for me to say anything [about the World Cup] – I was in shock,” he told the Official Matchday Programme.

“But to be honest, Slovenia deserved the win. We have to stay positive, but that’s easy to say and difficult to do.

“I don’t know why it happened. It would have been easier if we hadn’t conceded late on in Russia, but it’s too late to talk about it really.

“Everyone in Russia believed we would qualify but there we are, it didn’t happen.”

Winning the European Champions League is still on of course and it may be Arsenal's best chance of silverware yet again.

Andrei Arshavin Unrepentant About Injury

2009-09-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arsene Wenger not Happy Arshavin is to Miss Matches

Andrei Arshavin will be out of Arsenal's squad for about 3 weeks and will miss the big match with Man City. Despite this he says he was right to play for Russia. He says it is not his groin that is keeping him out but a knee injury and that his groin injury is not worse than it was before.

Arshavin's Goal Against Man Utd

He was suffering from a groin injury which ruled him out of the game against Liechtenstein but he declared himself fit to play for Russia against Wales on Wednesday night - understandable perhaps given that he wants Russia to qualify for the World Cup but as a result he is now out of today's match and the Champions League match against Standard Liege on Wednesday.

Manager Arsene Wenger was not too happy but Arshavin said: "There was a risk that after the game in Cardiff, such a relapse was possible, but I deliberately wanted help team. I think the risk is fully justified."

He also said he would have been out for another week anyway.

"There was no recurrence of a groin injury, as has been reported in many publications. Moreover, I'm more concerned today with my knee than the groin."
"Nothing appears to have worsened, scans on Friday are only showing issues in the knee."

"And the next matches in the English Premier League and Champions League, I would have missed in any case: the optimum period of recovery after such an injury as I have had is 21 days and this has not passed."

"I hope I can return to the ranks for the match with Wigan, which will be held on September 19."

Andrei Arshavin Portsmouth Penalty

2009-05-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Portsmouth Penalty or Not?

Arsene Wenger showed just how much he believes in Andrei Arshavin’s talent and ability by naming him captain for the match on Saturday. Arsenal had a fairly comfortable match and won 3-0, their 21st game unbeaten in the Premier League, they are now guaranteed to finish in the top four. Most people thought that Arshavin put in another man of the match performance, but he himself picked Denilson as his man of the match.

Goalkeeper David James had a decidedly bad day at the office when he inexplicably let a Nicklas Bendtner header slide through his hands into the goal when he seemed easier to hang on to it than to drop it.

The main talking point of the game revolved around penalties, Arsenal had two turned down before Sean Davis tackled Arshavin in the box. Davis got the ball and Arshavin fell down but Arshavin seemed to indicate to the referee that it was a corner not a penalty, but refs. being what they are, he took no notice and awarded a penalty, and Bendtner gratefully stepped up to get his second goal of the afternoon.

When asked about the ‘penalties’ Andrei Arshavin himself said: "Yes, for the first foul, it was without doubt a penalty [the referee didn’t give it]. For the second – that was the referee’s decision [a diplomatic way of saying it wasn’t a penalty?]. Nick scored, and we led 2-0. "

When asked why he didn’t take the penalty himself.
“Before the game, Arsene wrote down a list of who would take penalties. Bendtner was first on the list.”

Why did the P'mouth fans boo him after the penalty ?

”They were not happy with the penalty or with my game!”

It’s a pity Arshavin isn’t eligible for the Champions League this year.

Arshavin's Magnificent Four at Anfield

2009-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin 'Ammers Four Past Liverpool at Anfield !

Andrei Arshavin showed at Anfield last night just how good he is and why Arsene Wenger paid so much for him. He scored four goals for fun against Liverpool - something no-one has done in the modern era (for more than 60 years) at Anfield - , two with his right foot, two with his left foot, two inside the box and two from outside the box - and never looked like missing any of them !

It doesn't explain why Wenger didn't pick him for the FA Cup Semi-final of course.

Wenger said about Arshavin that he is one of the "great" players of the current era. He might also have predicted a sudden surge in the sales of no 10 Arsenal football shirts and also in Arsenal season tickets. So Arshavin will soon be repaying the money invested in him by increased sales of both tickets and shirts !

Last night Arshavin became the first player for over 60 years to score 4 goals in a league game against Liverpool at Anfield and some kind fellow has put them up on Youtube.

Wenger says he will not make any attempt to restrict Arshavin's creativity.

"Arshavin can play everywhere, like all great players. He scored four goals but it was at the end of good combination play. He has tricks and a short back-lift and that makes him very dangerous.

"It shows he has a good left foot, but in full confidence he can be relaxed enough to take the goal anyway. I have been in this job a long time and not many players get four goals in a top game like that. I didn't expect him to do that - he has scored seven in seven games."

"I believe it was a game of a frenetic pace, and of top quality. Both teams created many chances and you can see when you play on a good pitch you can play football in the Premier League." (A reference to the Wembley pitch there again.)

"Apart from that we are half-happy because we scored four goals but we are half-unhappy because we conceded four. As well, to be 4-3 up with two minutes to go, the team is disappointed. It was another great performance and Liverpool maybe thought a draw was a fair result.

"The big regret we have is that 10 minutes into the second half we are 2-1 down, but not from something created by Liverpool; from balls we didn't clear properly from the back.

"I never doubted the character of my players. The fact they came into the dressing room very, very disappointed says a lot about their character. It shows they wanted to win and that we go for it every time. It takes quality to respond like we did only three days after the FA Cup."

About Fabianski Wenger said : "He was fantastic in the first half but struggled a bit more in the second because I believe we were less dominant from crosses but overall Fabianski had a good performance."

Arshavin himself said that his display last night is only the start of things to come.

"I do not think I have adapted yet because in the first half I was quiet, except for the one moment when I scored. It is difficult, but I will try – I need time. I am a new player, I have to go through [my own] pre-season and then everything will be better."

"I had only scored a hat-trick twice in my career. I feel good, but also disappointed because we did not get the victory. Both teams wanted to win. What can I say? It was unbelievable football, but that is England for you."

Arsenal should have won last night, but their haphazard defending and the goal machine that is Torres was their undoing. But where did the ref get 5 minutes extra time from ? Did I fall asleep and miss something ? I can't remember any major stoppages during the second half. I'm surprised Wenger didn't have more to say about that.

Arshavin Keeps Wembley Bench Warm

2009-04-21T03:29:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - £15 Million Bench Warmer?

Why on earth did Wenger leave Arshavin on the bench for the FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea ?
Arshavin is not eligible to play in the Champions League and Arsenal have no realistic chance of winning the league, the FA Cup was Arsenal's best chance of a trophy this year. Maybe Wenger was not too bothered about the FA Cup and is more interested in beating Liverpool and moving up in the league. He may think there is a possibility that Arsenal could finish second. A very strange decision nevertheless, perhaps it was something to do with the pitch? Ferguson also made some strange decisions, dictated by the pitch. So you could argue that the Wembley pitch was more of a factor than the actual skill of the football teams that played on it.

(Andrei Arshavin by Chris)

Andrei Arshavin was disappointed but says "life goes on".

"In the first half, I think the result was fair. In the second half, Chelsea had more of the possession, more of the game was taking place in our half, although we tried to organise quick counter-attacks."

"Unfortunately, we conceded and had little time to really put pressure on (Petr) Cech's goal. Our opponents didn't give us opportunities to create something."

"We are disappointed that our fans left the stadium deflated. That's football, you lose sometimes."

"I guess you can't win everything. Now we have to concentrate our efforts on the Champions League and the Premier League."

Arsene Wenger seemed remarkably philosophical too after the match, although he did criticize the pitch.

Arshavin, who was voted player of the Month for March by the Arsenal fans has said to Sport Express that his best is till to come "I still haven't fully got to grips with the intensity of Premier League football."

"I don't feel free yet when making decisions. To gain this, I need to fully adapt to the rhythm of the game. Right now, I always feel under pressure. If in Russia I could get the ball and think two or three moves ahead, here I still haven't been able to do that," he said.

"Everything plays its part, even everyday things. There are no small details in football - everything is interconnected. When I am 100% fit, my brain will also work faster."

Andrei Arshavin Privacy Policy

2009-04-08T07:51:00.001-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Privacy Policy

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Arshavin's First Goal for Arsenal

2009-03-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin's First Goal - Man of the Match

See the video of Arshavin's first goal for Arsenal below and also the video of Pedersen's outrageous dive - the worst I've seen in over 50 years of watching players trying to con referees - he was lucky he wasn't sent off - and so was el-Hadj Diouf.

Andrei Arshavin, sometimes (but in our opinion incorrectly) spelled Andrey Arshavin , has proved to be a valuable addition to the Arsenal team. Each time we have seen him play he has made an excellent contribution to the match, unfortunately his contributions have not led to as many goals as they should have given the profligacy of some of the Arsenal forwards.

On Saturday however Arshavin was man of the match and scored a brilliant solo goal to show the rest of his team mates how it should be done!

He attributes some of his success on Saturday to the arrival of his wife, saying she gave him "power" !

“It’s not so easy." he said "I was alone, but my wife came two days ago “Maybe she gave me power for this match.”

Arshavin was also instrumental in bringing about Arsenal's first goal, as he slid in to where the boots were flying and bounced the ball of Andre Ooijer’s head for an own goal - a very neat trick !

Finally it was his accurate and powerful shot that Paul Robinson could only palm out. Fortunately it fell to Emmanuel Eboue who proved up to the task of poking it in to the open goal. Lucky it didn't fall to that other fellow. Arshavin said after the match “Of course I enjoyed my performance, but I don’t want to talk too much about myself.”

Arshavin's Real First Goal - Against Blackburn as filmed by a fan - not the BBC pics we have been blocked by Youtube

For his solo goal he managed to wriggle his way along the deadball line despite the admirative presence of Danny Simpson, then, as every one including Paul Robinson in goal, was expecting a cross, he smashed the ball into the roof of the net instead. Why take a chance on an Arsenal forward missing ? “Sometimes I can do things like that. I want to do them more often."

“But it doesn’t matter to me whether I score or set up a goal. It’s all about helping the team."

“Everything is new to me and I’m trying to get to know everyone as quickly as possible."

“I always wanted to join Arsenal. The club has done so much for me already, now I want to repay them.” (He also wanted to join Barcelona, Spurs, Real Madrid and one or two others, but who's counting, and I guess Arsenal will forgive him all that now.)

Arshavin has already made his mark on the team and looks set to be a key player in Arsenal's bid to qualify for the Champions League again.

Arshavin is also eligible to play in Arsenal's quarter final FA Cup match against Hull at home tomorrow night, for the privilege of playing Chelsea in the semi-finals.

Did Blackburn come to the Emirates to get physical ? It certainly seemed like that. A challenge by a Blackburn player on Arshavin meant that Arshavin needed stitches in his foot at half-time and a change of boots.

Almunia was also the victim of a vicious challenge by el Dioufo. Almunia by the way was furious at almost having his ankle broken by El Diouf and Wenger told him to calm down at half-time .

Big Sam admitted El-Hadj Diouf could have got a red card "It was a silly challenge and there was no need to make it.”

“The goalkeeper was just going to kick it out for a throw-in to us, so we took away our own advantage as well by giving away the foul."

“They carried it on as they walked off at half-time but that’s because Almunia nutted him. But you never write about that, do you?”

If El-Hadj Diouf had broken his ankle then he wouldn't have been able to nut him, so there's a moral in that story. Get your retaliation in first !

Talking about Arshavin's injury Wenger said : “The wound was well open, at the top and side of his foot, but there was no question he wouldn’t play in the second half.”

“He’s not a soft boy at all, he’s never in the medical room. He’s tough."

“He works hard. He’s quite surprised how hard he works! I think he’s a man of challenges."

“To leave St Petersburg, where he was the star, and to go to England at 27 years of age and to say: ‘OK, I want to start it all again’, you need to have character and to like challenges and he does that in a very focused way, I must say."

“He’s been a winner before and has experience and we are very, very young."

“We lost Alex Hleb and Tomas Rosicky this season, so we were a bit short of players aged between 27 and 30.” Every team should have at least 6 players between 27 and 30.

So if Almunia's foot had been broken and if Arshavin's injury had been bad enough for him to be substituted, and if Pedersen's abysmal and outrageous dive had got the penalty Pedersen was adamant it merited (10 out of 10 for artistic impression Mr Pedersen - your efforts will live for ever on Youtube I'm sure) then Blackburn might have got the draw they didn't deserve. Football's a funny old game ! They woz robbed !

Pedersen's Outrageous Dive Against Arsenal - note the expression on Pedersen's face when he doesn't get his penalty - he was lucky not to get a red card !

On the other hand if Nicklas Bendtner had put away some of the goals he was handed on a plate then Arsenal could have won 7-0, instead of which they had to make do with 4-0.

Advocaat Praises Arshavin as Sensation

2009-02-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Wenger and Advocaat On Arshavin

According to Arsene Wenger Andrei Arshavin can get Arsenal back into the top four, which sounds a bit optimistic to me, not because of Arshavin, but because Arsenal need to improve a lot and either Chelsea or Aston Villa or Liverpool need to make a lot of mistakes.

Arshavin will probably make his debut at home against Sunderland tomorrow, although as he is not totally fit it is unlikely he will play the whole 90 minutes.

Wengers assessment is that Arshavin "can integrate well our combination game, he can move very well, he is very mobile so that is something we work on as well ... He is a clever passer of the ball and that is something you need in every big team to open teams up."

But he added "You have to give everybody who comes in time to adapt, to adjust. I know him quite well on his vision, his passing ability, his quick brain. That is something which is very important in the modern game."

"He has personality, he has a strong character. The handicap he has at the moment is that he is not completely fit physically, but all the rest should be quite quick.

"Anyway, we will take the needed time. We will not put him under pressure, if he needs a bit longer he takes a bit longer. At the moment we have many players in that area injured like Fabregas, Rosicky, Walcott, so there is a position to take as a creative midfielder."

Arsenal are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, but are drawing a lot of games.

"We are on a good run, are in good shape and the close future looks very good, if we can win the games. With the players coming back, they can have a positive effect on the squad and we can finish the season in a very strong way."

According to Dick Advocaat in this recent video interview, Arshavin will be a sensation in England

Arshavin on Bench Against Spurs

2009-02-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin on the Bench for First Match Against Spurs

Andrei Arshavin is on the bench for the match against Spurs. This might be a bit of surprise to some pople as it is said he is not totally match fit.

Arshavin has also said that he speaks his mind and says what he thinks :

"I like to speak my mind. It has made me enemies."

"Sometimes I find it hard to hide my dislike of certain people. It may be bad but that's just me."

"I am better sometimes than at other times, but I am always honest."

In my experience Russians are like that anyway, they don't beat about the Bush.

Now for some Russian phrases - If you want to say hello to Mr Arshavin - you say "zdravstvuiyte Andrei Sergeyevitch -kak dyela ?" (Hello Andrei Sergeyevitch - How are you?) to which he may reply "khorosho - spasiba" (Fine - thank you)

If you want to watch the Arsenal match online live check out watch football online

Andrei Arshavin Short Biography

2009-02-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - A Short Biography of Andrei Arshavin

27 year old attacking Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin (Андрей Сергеевич Аршавин) has been described by Guus Hiddink, manager of the Russian national team, as “the most intelligent player I have ever worked with”.

Arshavin was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg again) on 29th May 1981. He was Russian footballer of the year in 2006.

He was a player for his home town club Zenit St Petersburg between 2000 and 2009 and is a national hero in Russia (232 appearances - 51 goals) but he mde it known that he wanted to play for a big European club. After a very protracted transfer saga worthy of the great Lev Tolstoy himself, allegedly involving just about every club in Europe, including Newcastle and Kevin Keegan, the transfer negotiations went right down to the wire and apparently were only agreed in the last hour before the transfer window closed, he has now signed for Arsenal, who presumably expect to see an increase in ticket sales as a result.

He is known a versatile "second striker" who plays as an attacking midfielder and his greatest skill is close control, pace and vision.

He graduated from Smena football school. In 1999 and 2000 he played for Zenit's farm club, Zenit-2, in the Russian Second Division.

He was included in the Zenit St. Petersburg squad in 2000. During his long and illustrious career with Zenit he played in various positions. He started as a right midfielder, then became an attacking midfielder and finally adopted the role of second striker, playing on a flank or just behind the main striker.

He was voted Russian Premier League player of the season in 2006 because of his ability to play well as either winger, striker or playmaker.

Arshavin helped Zenit St. Petersburg win the 2007 Russian Premier League title, a season in which he started all 30 matches, scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists along the way. It was Zenit's first league title since they won the old Soviet Top League in 1984.

He is a very intelligent player excelling at killer passes and through balls. Control, vision and strong running are the main characteristics of his game. He also doesn't talk very much and doesn't give many interviews, even in Russian.

In the UEFA Cup Arshavin scored 11 goals in 25 matches. Arshavin was the driving force behind the Zenit team and man-of-the-match and set up both goals when Zenit won the UEFA Cup on 14th May 2008.

Kevin Keegan allegedly was the first English manager to show an interest in Arshavin and is said to have made an £11 million pound bid to try and sign Arshavin for Newcastle, Spurs also tried and failed to sign Arshavin. It was Arsene Wenger and Arsenal who finally signed him, as Zenit became more realistic about the transfer fee.

Arshavin played for Russia for the first time on on May 17, 2002 against Belarus.
He was included in the Russia Euro 2008 squad by manager Guus Hiddink, despite the fact that he was suspended and therefore unable to play in the first two group matches. On his return he scored Russia's second goal against Sweden in Innsbruck.

Honours :

2003 Russian Premier League Cup
2007 Russian Premier League
2008 Russian Super Cup
2008 UEFA Cup
2008 UEFA Super Cup

Voted Russian Footballer of the Year in 2006

Arsenal who are ten points behind Manchester United and five points behind Aston Villa (who they also have to play in the FA Cup) will be hoping he can revive their season. Arshavin will not be eligible to play in the Champions League this season.

Arshavin Video Interview

2009-02-04T07:44:00.001-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin's First Interview With Arsenal TV as Seen on You tube

Arsene Wenger has been saying how good Arshavin is and how he will fit in to the Arsenal style. He may not be ready for the game against Spurs but I guess Arsenal won't have to wait too long to see him in action. I guess also that in addition to improved results and scores, they are expecting to see an increase in Arsenal ticket sales which will help them recover the amount they spent on him.

His English is actually quite good, although he sometimes struggles with the daft questions TV reporters ask. Here is the video he made with Arsenal TV.

Arsenal Official Statement re. Arshavin

2009-02-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Arshavin Transfer Official Statement from Arsenal

(....... Photo : Arsenal.com)

Arshavin has definitely signed for Arsenal and here is the official statement confirming it.

"Arsenal Holdings plc - Signing of International Midfielder

Arsenal Holdings plc is pleased to confirm that its subsidiary The Arsenal
Football Club plc ("Arsenal") has agreed the transfer of Russian international
Andrei Arshavin from FC Zenit St Petersburg.

Andrei has entered into a long term agreement with Arsenal.

3 February 2009

END"
So it is official ! Hooray ! On to the football against Spurs. And lots of sales of no. 23 football shirts no doubt.

Arshavin Deal Ratified by FA

2009-02-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Deal Ratified by FA

Andrei Arshavin is a Gunner

Sky Sport at 16:45 are reporting that Arshavin's transfer to Arsenal has finally been ratified by the F.A.

Arshavin is the best player in Russia and was voted 11th best player in the world recently (if my memory serves me right) - so Arsenal have got an excellent player, who won't be bothered by the cold English weather and it would seem at an excellent price - some reports are saying £12.5 million.

So well done Arsenal, Arsene and Arshavin! So many Ars - it was clearly a match made in heaven.

Arsenal are certainly in need of someone or something to get their season started as they are no 5 points behind Aston Villa ! And at the moment look likely to stay there. So let's hope if you are an Arsenal fan that Arshavin will provide the service the forwards need to get goals - he average about 1 in 4 in his matches for Zenit so he is clearly a provider more than a scorer.

He will be playing in no. 23 (what's that all about?) so I predict a run on 2s and 3s in the football shirt market.

Arshavin Thinks He's a Gunner

2009-02-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin Thinks He Has Signed For Arsenal

Is this the longest running transfer saga ever? I'm inlcuding the Spurs attempts to sign Arshavin over the summer in that assessment.

On the official Arshavin site, Andrei Arshavin says he thinks he's signed for Arsenal - "Думаю, да. Переговоры подходят к завершению, подробности завтра. Сейчас могу сказать только одно - если буду играть в "Арсенале", то под номером 23. " (Dumaioo da. Peregovori podkhodyat k zaversheniyoo, podrobnosti zavtra. Seichas mogu skazat' tol'ko odno - yesli boodoo igrat' v Arsenal, to pod nomyerom 23.")

i.e. "I think so. The negotiations are over, the details will be finalized tomorrow. At the moment there is only one thing I can say with certainty - if I play for Arsenal I wil be wearing number 23."

Reprts are now saying thatArsenal paid somewhere between £10 million and £12.5 million, which is even better than the £15 million that was being stated earlier.

According to Sky News at 13:15 the FA still haven't ratified the transfer deal, no doubt due to the wrong kind of snow.

Asrhavin Signs For Arsenal

2009-02-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin to Sign for Arsenal

Andrei Arshavin is signing for Arsenal tonight (Monday). How do I know? because Arsene Wenger of Arsenal was just on the phone and he said so. He wasn't on the phone to me of course, he was on the phone to Sky Sports. So according to the guy in the grey suit on Sky Sports and to Arsene Wenger, Arshavin is signing for Arsenal tonight, which deserves a loud hurray I think ! Hooray ! Or as the Russians would have it Gura !

(.......................................... Arshavin pic by Steven on Facebook)

A fine move by Arsenal after all this messsing about, and a fine move by Arshavin too, much better than signing for that other team in the relegation battle.

So we can look forward to see Gospodin (Russian for Mister) Arshavin at the Emirates soon. Hooray !

So rush out and buy an Arsenal season ticket if you can, or some Arhavin memorabilia quick before it's all gone ! Hooray !

Work Permit for Arshavin

2009-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arsenal Apply for Work Permit

According to RIAN in Russia, Arsenal got a U.K. work permit for Andrei Arshavin on Friday. It would appear therefore that the deal has finally been done. But there is still no confirmation from Arsenal.

According to Sky News Arsene Wegner has apparently said he expects the deal to be concluded in the next 24 hours. Russian sources expect an announcement from Arsenal within the "next few hours."

Sovetski Sport have said that Arshavin has agreed to repay Zenit St. Petersburg half of a $5 million bonus he was paid when he signed a four-year contract in 2006.

Arsenal are understood to have paid £ 15 million for Arshavin.

Maxim Mitrofanov, the Zenit director, said that Arshavin should also lower his wage demands to help the deal get signed.

Just about every club inEurope has been rumoured to be looking at Arshavin but so far only Arsenal and Spurs have showed a real concrete interest, which is a little surprising given the player's obvious talent. If it is true that Arsenal have signed him for £15 million they have got an extremely good player at a good price.

Arsenal and Zenit Agree Terms

2009-01-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Zenit and Arsenal Agree Terms for Arshavin Transfer

Zenit St Petersburg and Arsenal have finally reached a deal to sign Andrei Arshavin, although the transfer has not yet been finalized, as personal terms have stll to be agreed.

Zenit have not revealed how much Arsenal have agreed to pay saying only that it is the "real market value of the player".

Arshavin is now in discussions with Arsenal over personal terms but it seems unlikely Arsenal will break their current wage structure. There were reports that Arshavin was asking for £110,000 a week.

On Zenit's website the statement reads "The fundamental understanding over the transfer of the player has been achieved between the clubs. At the moment the basic obstacle in realising the transaction is Andrei Arshavin's personal requirements."

Or if you prefer it in Russian "Переговоры между ФК «Зенит» и лондонским «Арсеналом» о трансфере Андрея Аршавина продолжаются. Между клубами достигнута принципиальная договоренность о переходе игрока на условиях устраивающих обе стороны и соответствующих реальной рыночной стоимости футболиста."

It is unlikely that Arshavin will not agree personal terms with Arsenal, so this is excellent news for both Arsenal and Arshavin and also English football. According to Dick Advocaat the deal should be finalized on Tuesday.

Arsenal Close to Signing Arshavin?

2009-01-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arsenal Close to Signing Arshavin?

Will they won't they? Arshavin seems willing to sign for Arsenal. Arsenal seem willing to sign Arshavin as long as the price is right. The only people still holding out are the Zenit St Petersburg board who appear to be split.

The problem for Zenit is that a) Arshavin wants to go and has said so and is hardly playing at his best for Zenit, b) he could buy himself out of his contract at the end of the season for £5 million and c) as far as anyone knows Arsenal are the only club who have actually made an offer for Arshavin. Mancheser City apparently said yesterday they were not interested in Arshavin. So if Zenit don't make a decision they will be stuck with a player who wants to go and will get no money for him.

Arsenal are said to have made a final offer of £15 million and Zenit appear to have reduced their asking price from £20 million to £16 million so if all this is true and with a difference of only £1 million then the transfer now looks a distinct possibility. But let's face it we're just guessing really.

Inter Milan Interested in Arshavin?

2009-01-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Now Inter Milan Want a Piece of the Action

Arshavin to Inter Milan?

The Andrei Arshavin transfer saga has taken another twist with reports that Inter Milan may be interested in him, which would of course prevent Arsenal from signing him. It is well-known that there is no love lost between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, who Mourinho once famously described as a "voyeur".

Arsenal are reported to have increased their initial offer of €11 million to around €13.5 million plus a further €6 million based on appearances and results.

However, The Daily Star is reporting that Zenit St. Petersburg want €27.5 million, a long way off what Arsene Wenger is willing to pay.

The claim is that Inter Milan are ready to pay around €16.5 million and if Adriano is going to Tottenham then Mourinho has said he will need another striker, but with Drogba unhappy at Chelsea there is a distinct possibility that he would like to join his old boss at Inter Milan. However, €16.5 million can hardly be called an improvement on the €13.5 plus €6 million being offered by Arsenal.

Another sticking point appears to be that Arshavin's agent, Dennis Lachter, wants €5.5 million of any fee paid to Zenit.

Manchester City were said to be interested in Arshavin but it now appears their prime target is Kaka from AC Milan for whom they appear willing to pay £100 million, which is more than double the previous record of £46 million for Zidane. If they did sign Kaka of course, perhaps Arshavin would be more enthusiastic about a move to Manchester. But it is also likely that if City pay £100 million for Kaka then Zenit would probably increase the price they want for Arshavin.

I was leaning towards Arshavin signing for Manchester City, but with today's development I now think Arsenal are more likely to sign him, as I am not taking the Inter Milan rumour too seriously.

Arshavin Says Nyet to UAE

2009-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - On Strike?

Andrei Arshavin is reported to have refused to go to the UAE to join Zenit St Petersburg at its pre-season training camp. Sovetski Sport said on Tuesday "The St. Petersburg forward called the trainer and said that he would not go to the first pre-season camp in the UAE if he was not sold to a foreign club."

He had hinted earlier on in the season that he would go on strike if necessary.

(.....Arshavin Photo by Simone)

It appears also that Arshavin would actually prefer to play for Arsenal after all. At least that's what some people are reading between the lines.

Arshavin is quoted in the Daily Telegraph as saying: "In some games last season, we played football which was very similar to that of Arsenal."

He then added: "I would prefer my present Number 10 but in the team where I hope to move it's not vacant. So I'm ready for any number they are going to offer me."

This is taken to mean that he wants to go to Arsenal and would have preferred to wear number 10 but that is currently occupied by William Gallas.

Personaly to me this doesn't make a lot of sense, as presumably other teams have players occupying number 10 shirts too?

Zenit St Petersburg still maintain that they are negotiating with ‘a number of English clubs’ over Arshavin, but so far there does not appear to have been any official bid other than the £10 million bid made by Arsenal which was rejected.

Zenit’s head of media, Alexey Petrov, has confirmed however that talks are continuing with Arsenal. “From Manchester City no documents have been reported in our club,” Petrov said.

“Negotiations with Arsenal are not finished, they are continuing, but you cannot say there is anything definite.”

On another note Andrei Arshavin was voted the 11th best player in the world by FIFA last night. which, even if it is not one of the top 3 is still pretty good.

Andrei Arshavin to Man City

2009-01-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Man City Up the Stakes for Arshavin

Andrei Arshavin is still under contract to Zenit Saint Petersburg, which has apparently turned down Arsenal's offer of 22 million euros (around 19.5 million GBP). This is quite astonishing if it is true. First I'm amazed that Arsenal would offer such a high amount and second I'm amazed that Zenit would turn it down. Except of course that nothing amazes anyone any more with this transfer saga.

It now seems that Manchester City, Real Madrid and Juventus are back in the hunt, unless of course no-one is in the hunt and this is just a ploy to increase the price for Arshavin.
According to the Russian News and Information Agency (RIAN), based on a report in the Sunday Mirror, Manchester City are close to signing Arshavin for $27.4 million (around 18 million GBP which the more observant amongst us will notice is less than Zenit are supposed to have turned down from Arsenal! - is that credible?).

According to the RIAN Arsenal had a $15 million bid turned down (10 million GBP). Arshavin's agent, Dennis Lachter, is now saying that a move to the Gunners is unlikely, after saying it was likely last week.

Manchester City, as everyone in the UK knows, have more money than sense, thanks to the massive wealth of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Arshavin's wage demands and Zenit's insistence on a lump sum would not be a problem - in fact Manchester City might even enjoy flashing the cash just to annoy everyone else.

Manchester City, signed Brazilian star Robinho for $59 million in August, and UK star Wayne Bridge for $20.5 million.

The Sunday Mirror reports that Manchester City met both Zenit officials and the player.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal put in a bid of 13.5 million euros plus 6 million euros in unspecified 'add-ons'

Alexei Petrov from Zenit said "I can confirm that Zenit did get an official offer from Arsenal about Andrei Arshavin. It was rejected as insufficient. They offered about £10m. No new offers have arrived from them since. At the moment, Arsenal are the only club to have approached us about the player."

So in conclusion it seems that Man City are ready to pay £18 million plus Arshavin's wages of around £85,000 (i.e. 4.4 million a year - or £2,100 an hour - and yes I do think footballers' wages are outrageous and ridiculous - but if that's what people are willing to pay then so be it) which I suspect is more than Arsenal are willing to fork out, so it would seem that Man City are the favourites at the moment (until we hear that Juventus have offered 35 million euros and Real Madrid have upped that to 40 million of course). Personally I think Arshavin would be better off at Arsenal if he wants to win trophies, but if he wants more money then he is better off at Man City.

Arshavin to Arsenal ?

2009-01-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Stop Press Arshavin Talking to Arsenal

STOP PRESS : After writing the post below I just read the following on the Daily Mirror site :-

"Andrei Arshavin was last night on the verge of signing for Arsenal in a cut-price £10million deal. [He] arrived for talks with Gunners chiefs at London’s Landmark hotel with his wife Yulia at lunchtime yesterday."

(............... Picture of Andrei Arshavin by Nikola)

I have been following the Andrei Arshavin saga since he first started looking for a move from Zenit St Petersburg during Euro 2008. His name has been linked with about 20 different European teams, including Spurs, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Man City, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Marseille, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus and now most recently and most persistently Arsenal.

A couple of weeks ago Arshavin was in London 'on business'. He is said to have visited both Arsenal and Spurs, but at the same time it is claimed that he didn't visit either and that he was in London for an advertising campaign.

His agent Dennis Lachter, however, has claimed that negotiations are underway but there is still a long way to go. It is also claimed that Spurs were no longer interested in taking the negotiations further - Juande Ramos it appears was interested but Harry Redknapp is not so keen.

According to the Independent, Arshavin's wages are already around £70,000 (a week not a year, in case you have been asleep for the last 20 years), and this is at the high-end of Premier League wages.

There are also rumours that Arshavin has been asking Arsenal to break its wage structure - which I would guess Arsenal will not do. The transfer fee is also a sticking point, this summer Zenit wanted £24 million (at least) which no-one was willing to pay, now it appears they want £20 million but Arsenal are offering £12 million. This is further complicated by the fact that Arshavin can buy out his contract at the end of this season for £5 million, which clearly Zenit do not want him to do.

There is also the problem of the Champions League, Arshavin will not be eligible to play in it. Interestingly Arsene Wenger this week said he was looking for a player for the long-term not for this year's Champions League.

Zenit are getting desperate to sell him, but they would probably have been better off accepting a reasonable offer this summer.

Zenit's manager, Dick Advocaat, has already said that Arshavin would leave in January. "I am aware that Arsenal are interested but I don't know any more than that. However, I am expecting Arshavin to leave Zenit for another club. He is a top player and he could play for any team and any of the top teams in England, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool. "

"He was voted player of the year by the sportswriters last season – and we know they know everything! Arshavin played well for us last season but he didn't play as well as he can. There is still more to come from him."

Arshavin is a highly talented player but just where he will end up is anybody's guess. At the moment Arsenal are being touted as the favourites, but quite frankly we've heard it all before and Arsene Wenger is a shrewd operator who is not known for signing 28 year olds. But he is known for getting good players at good prices and he certainly hasn't ruled out the possibility of signing Arshavin.

I wrote all this before seeing the Daily Mirror article. It would appear that Arsenal might sign Arshavin for £10 million, which would be a great deal - we shall see.

Arsenal's Arsene Cagey About Arshavin

2008-12-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arsene and Arshavin A Game of Two Arves?

Who thought up that terrible heading!?

Is Arshavin going to the Arsenal? Here are two quotes about the Arsenal Arsene Arshavin situation.

First from Maxim Mitrofanov, the General Director of Zenit St Petersburg speaking on Radio Echo Moskvy : "The price for Arshavin is 24 million euros and we are hopeful that Arsenal will make an offer very soon" source Goal

Then from Arsene Wenger : "Yes [I am more likely to buy], but we also have internal solutions so we are not desperate because of that. Now we have a big game in front of us and before January anyway I believe it is more important to focus on our games.

At the moment no one is going out and no one is coming in. That gives you a perfect answer! And I don't feel any need to speak about that [the Arshavin speculation] because at the moment that is not a realistic solution." source Arsenal

So Mitrofanov is "hopeful", Wenger says the solution is not "realistic at the moment". But how about if the price were lowered to something more realistic, would the solution become more realistic too?

Certainly Arshavin wants away, and Zenit have said he can go, but so far everybody has refused the price tags they keep putting on him.

Wenger didn't categorically rule out the possibility of buying Arshavin, he left himself some wiggle room. Arsenal need somebody, and probably a couple of somebodys, if they are to have hope of fighting for the title or the Champions League.

So, as we have been saying for the last 6 years (it certainly feels like six years anyway) - watch this space.

Arshavin for Arsene's Arsenal

2008-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - Arshavin Set to Sign for Arsenal

According to the Daily Mail it is Arsenal that are close to signing Andrei Arshavin this January.

Arsenal certainly need to do something to get back in the title race and Arsene Wenger is known as being fairly shrewd in the transfer market, although some of his recent signings have not been the greatest of successes. Arshavin at 27 would be a bit unusual for Wenger, as he generally likes younger players. Arshavin would of course add his European experience to the Arsenal squad and bolster Arsenal's chances in Europe. And there is also the added attraction of another name beginning with Ars to add to Arsenal and Arsene.

(............................................... Photo by 'Irena')

Arshavin said himself last week that he had been in London on business, see Arshavin in London but most people, including us, thought he had been to see Chelsea.

It now turns out that Arshavin was seen at Arsenal's Colney training ground in London on Wednesday, but according to the Daily Telegraph he was also seen at Spurs’ Chigwell training ground on Tuesday. He has however also said that he is keen to play in the Champions League, so in a straight fight between Arsenal and Spurs it is pretty clear that Arsenal would win.

The Daily Mail is confident Arshavin will join Arsenal early next month. They say that Wenger has got the go-ahead to sign Arshavin because of the £37m profit the club made last year.

Andrei Arshavin in London

2008-12-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin - on Business Trip to London

Arshavin says he visited London on business

Andrei Arshavin has been to London but not to see the Queen. His 'secret' trip was a business trip and importantly he had permission from his paymasters Zenit St Petersburg.

Arshavin said: "I went to London and it was on a business trip. But I was also lucky to find time for sightseeing in London. Me and my wife Yulia had a long walk around the capital of Britain, saw Trafalgar Square and many other places. I'm very happy about it. When you visit these countries to play football you only see things through the window of the bus."

The clubs in London that could sing him are Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. But since being linked with Spurs in the summer, Arshavin now has said he would like to play for Chelsea or Man Utd. So odds are it's Chelsea who are interested.

He has also been linked to Real Madrid of course, where Juande Ramos (ex Spurs manager) is in charge, but as far as we know Arshavin hasn't been on a business trip to Madrid.

Chelsea might also be selling a few players in January so they may need some fresh blood.

Scolari is said to want either Luis Fabiano or Arshavin.

For the Champions League Draw see Free Online Sport

Arshavin Too Good For Tottenham

2008-12-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Advocaat says Andrei Arshavin is too Good for Spurs or Rangers

Dick Advocaat, Manager of Russian team Zenit St Petersburg has said that Andrei Arshavin is too good to join Tottenham or Rangers. Advocaat says Arshavin should be looking to sign for one of the major European clubs.

“As a manager I would like Arshavin to stay but as a person I realise that he deserves more. But Andrei is too good for Spurs or Rangers. It would be better for him to stay in St Petersburg than to go to London or Glasgow. Tottenham has a fine reputation but I doubt that Arshavin will want to move there.

“I do not want to offend Roman Pavlyuchenko, but in my opinion Arshavin is a much classier player. He needs to move to a really great club. He didn’t show his best form recently. For St Petersburg he doesn’t perform as strongly as he used to.”

According to the Daily Mirror, Anredi Arshavin’s fellow Russian Pavlyuchenko may have to leave White Hart Lane as manager Harry Redknapp looks to do some wheeling and dealing to bring in some money and get the players he wants. Harry is well-known in the UK for being a very clever buyer and seller of players.

Pavlyuchenko has scored five goals since Redknapp took over at Spurs, but rumour has it that the manager is still unconvinced of his quality.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is also said to have put £20 million price tag on Aaron Lennon, to dissuade former Spurs manager Juande Ramos from luring him to Real Madrid. Ramos was of course famously interested in Andrei Arshavin when he was manager of Spurs, so now that he is at Real Madrid, where presumably cash is not a problem, it is quite probable that he is even more interested in Arshavin.

Ramos said to Sovetsky Sport: "At the moment I can only talk about Real players, and Arshavin is Zenit player. But despite this, I cannot hide the fact that I know Andrei Arshavin very well. He is a brilliant, magical footballer."

Talking to the Sun Arshavin said : “I can confirm that officials from Zenit have begun preliminary negotiations with Real Madrid about my transfer. At the moment there is nothing concrete on the table. Also, there is contact with other Spanish clubs, as well as Italian and English clubs.”

The problem in the past has been the (inflated) price Zenit have been asking for Andrei Arshavin, and now that Ramos is at Real Madrid is seems unlikely that they will deflate this price.

Hopefully Arshavin will sign for somebody in January, as this saga is getting a bit tedious and it would be nice to see Arshavin playing for a top European Club in the Champions League.

Pavlyuchenko Says Get Arshavin

2008-12-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

Pavlyuchenko Says Get Arshavin

Roman Pavlyuchenko tells Tottenham to get Arshavin in the January transfer window.

Arshavin has of course been linked to just about very time in Western Europe but particularly with Tottenham.The Zenit President recently described Tottenham's price for Arshavin as 'indecent' and Arshavin has said he will go onstrike if Zenit don't sell him. AC Milan dn Real Madrid have also apparently shown an interest, so if that is true then you would have to thinkthat Tottenham would not be favourites to sign him.

...........................................................Photo : AP

Pavlyuchenko however says he would like Tottenham to 'swoop' (did he really say 'swoop' I wonder?) for Arshavin.

They are rumoured to not be great friends but asked if he would like Arshavin to sign for Spurs in January, Pavlyuchenko told the London Evening Standard: "Yes, of course I would like that.

"I haven't spoken to Arshavin myself, although I know there have been discussions about him moving to another club. All I know is that Arshavin wants to join another good European team."

Pavlyuchenko is improving at Spurs after a slow start following his move from Spartak Moscow and he says his partnership with Comrade Bent is improving.

"It is too early to judge the partnership [with Bent], but in practice matches, we pass a lot to each other, and we seem to able to find our game," added Pavlyuchenko.

Hardly a resounding endorsement in my humble opinion, but he is Russian and they are notoriously tight-lipped.

Arshavin Move Saga Rumbles On

2008-11-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

Andrei Arshavin Saga Continues - Real Madrid Are Confident

Andrei Arshavin has been threatening to refuse to play for Zenit if they don't sell him for a reasonable price, i.e. not the inflated price they have been asking for him. Zenit St Petersberg on the other hand have turned up the pressure by saying it would be "the end of his career" if he were to go on strike.

(..................................................... Andrei Arshavin, AP)

Arshavin's attempt to move from Zeni tis possibly the longest running transfer saga in football history. The most persistent rumours have been around a move to Tottenham in England, but recently rumours have resurfaced concerning Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Hull City. Pavlyuchenko is of course already at Tottenham and is apparently very enthusiastic about the Barclays Premier League, but it is not thought that Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko are particularly close friends.

Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon has apparently stated that Arshavin will soon be playing for Real Madrid (Arshavin has been a lifelong Barcelona fan by the way). Calderon has indicated that the Russian is en route for Madrid. The two clubs first need to agree on the fee and Zenit are still asking a for a minimum of 25 million euros

Arshavin said earlier this month 'If Zenit do not put a realistic price tag on me and let me go, I'll stay at Zenit but only on paper. I do not want to play for them next year - and I won't.'

Zenit President Alexander Dyukov has responded, saying 'If Arshavin goes on strike it will be the end of his career in professional football. I don't believe he's going to do it.

'We can't just let him go. We must receive proper compensation for him. It was his decision to extend his contract with us last year and he was richly rewarded for it.

'Naturally we are prepared to listen to offers for him, as we have been in the past. But, frankly, the summer's offer from Tottenham was indecent.

'They suggested paying us by instalments for four years. That would be some kind of loan which was unacceptable to us.'

Spurs South American Threesome

2008-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Spurs Might Buy in Bulk in South America instead of signing Arshavin

Tottenham might bring in 3 South American attackers, if they don't manage to sign Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.

Spurs' Scouts have been watching three players in South America, and could sign least two of them if Arshavin doesn't make the move to White Hart Lane.

Spurs feel that they hold all the cards and that Arshavin will get the move he wants to Spurs.

However, if Zenit refuse to budge over the transfer fee then Tottenham will sign one, two or even all three of their South American Targets (will they get a bulk discount ?).

The first is Radamel Falcao, who has also been linked to a move to Man. Utd.

Reports suggest that Spurs are considering up a £7million offer.

The second is Rodrigo Palacio, from Boca Juniors who has scored 49 goals in 111 games.

The third is Thiago Neves of Fluminense, who has been linked with a move to Man. City along and there are reports that Everton, Man Utd and AC Milan are also watching him.

With Dimitar Berbatov probably/possibly off to Man Utd Ramos neds to sign someone!

Zenit Reduce Arshavin Asking Price

2008-08-15T07:44:00.001-07:00

Zenit Reduce Asking Price for Arshavin

Zenit St Petersburg are reported to have lowered their asking price for Andrei Arshavin.

Tottenham therefore look as if they will be signing him, after Berbatov moves to Man. Utd.

Berbatov is rumoured to be in Manchester today for a medical and Tottenham manager Juande Ramos has said he is looking for extra attacking firepower.

Konstantin Sarsaniya, Zenit sporting director, said: "Zenit have decided to reduce the asking price for Andrei, but exactly how much I cannot say because the negotiations were led by Zenit President Alexander Dyukov."

He also added : "There are only small differences left."

The Russian team was said to be asking anything betweeen £19m and £30m depending on which newspaper you were reading and now the rumours if that Tottenham will sing Arshavin for around £18m.

Spurs Need to Increase Arshavin Offer

2008-08-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Zenit Says Spurs Need to Increase their Offer for Arshavin

Zenit St Petersburg have said Spurs’ latest offer for Andrei Arshavin is not high enough.

The offer is variously being said to have been £17m or £19m and Zenit are said to be asking for £20m or £24m so a confusing situation. One thing is clear however Zenit are still saying 'nyet'.

Dennis Lachter, Arshavin's agent, is still confident that his player will be with Spurs soon. He has said we should know by Monday.

Talking to the BBC he said : “It is my prediction that Arshavin is going to be a Tottenham player this season.”

“He just rejected a huge, huge offer to renew his contract for another five years. He would like to leave for the Premier League.”

Arshavin Barcelona Deal Off

2008-07-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Arshavin Not Going to Barcelona

Andrei Arshavin will not be going to Barcelona. His current team Zenit St Petersburg have told Barcelona their €15 million offer is not enough.

"Barcelona did not improve their offer of €15m, we therefore decided to end negotiations," Zenit said. They also added that they have not received any other offers for Arshavin.

Zenit have offered Arshavin a two-year extension to his contract. He already earns more than any other footballer in Russia, and Zenit have given him two weeks to decide his future. He did not play in Zenit’s first Premier League match since Euro 2008 on Sunday, a 5-1 win over Tomsk.

Coach Dick Advocaat says Arshavin will not be picked until he makes up his mind.

Advocaat has already said “something will happen this week. He has to do what he wants. It is disappointing that he is leaving but that's the way it goes."

Arshavin off to Spain?

2008-06-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Arshavin off to Spain not England

It appears that Andrei Arshavin would prefer a move to Spain rather than England. He claims to have received offers from English and German clubs - Arseanl, Chelsea and Newcastle seem to be the main candidates but he prefers the Spanish way of playing and he says since he was a boy he has admited Spanish football. “I have offers from England and Germany, but I would really like to play in the Spanish League,” he apaprently said to a Spanish newspaper. “It’s the championship I’ve always followed, I like the football they play there. But, at the moment, I don’t have any offers from Spain.”

Roman Pavlyuchenko has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid and Arshavin says there are a lot Russia players who may yet be spotted by major clubs at Euro 2008.

Arshavin off to Arsenal?

2008-06-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Arshavin off to Arsenal?

It now appears there are rumours that Andrei Arshavin is being courted by Arsene at Arsenal, a match made in heaven if ever there was one. See www.freeonlinesport.com Price around £10 million, but Newcastle also want him.

We await further developments.

Andrei Arshavin for Newcastle?

2008-06-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Andrei Arshavin - Russian Footballer Set for a Transfer to England

Andrei Arshavin (Андрей Сергеевич Аршавин in Russian) is the 27 year old Russian midfielder/winger/attacker who has been described by the Russian national coach Guus Hiddink as “the most intelligent player I have ever worked with”.

He was born on May 29 1981 in the city formerly known as Leningrad, but now known as St. Petersburg. He was voted Russian footballer of the year in 2006.
He plays for Zenit St Petersburg at the moment but a number of English clubs have shown an interest in signing him. He has been linked with Manchester City and Everton but now it seems that the most likely to sign him are Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle.

He has just played an important role in helping Russia to qualify for the quarter finals of Euro 2008.