Zenit St. Petersburg forward and current star of Euro 2008 thus far, Andrei Arshavin is the man of the moment. Reports suggest that he is ready to try his trade outside of his native Russia, and he has received offers from England and Germany.
However Arshavin has stated that he is keen on a move to Spain, as he is a fan of the league, and he likes the way football is played there. Zenit boss Dick Advocaat, has also claimed in a recent interview that Arshavin is likely to join Barcelona.
Arshavin’s desire to play in Spain has now put a twist on the current Adebayor transfer saga as the Blaugrana may be tempted to make a move for the 27 year old instead. Arsenal have apparently been keen to land Arshavin and has been planning to use the funds from a possible Adebayor transfer, to buy the gifted striker while still having cash left over, having priced Adebayor at around 32 million euros, while Arshavin will cost in the region of 15 million euros. Barca however are only prepared to pay 27 million euros for the Togolese striker and thus could make a move for Arshavin instead.
My take on this, is that Barca should make a move for the man of the moment, Arshavin. He is a player who I believe many Barca fans would love to see at the Nou Camp, even more so than Emmanuel Adebayor. Also Arshavin has expressed a desire to move to Spain while Adebayor’s heart seems set on playing in Italy for AC Milan. Barcelona needs to bring players to the club who have a strong desire to play for the club and I believe Arshavin is one of them.
Russian football is clearly on the rise, it was proven with Zenit St. Petersburg’s Uefa Cup triumph over Rangers and now Russia’s run in Euro 2008. Arshavin believes they are many good players in is country which are now being discovered, and one thing is certain, he definitely is one of them.