SOCCER:Andrei Arshavin has vowed to help Arsenal end their trophy drought after he completed his "dream" move to the Gunners this afternoon. The club confirmed the that the Russian playmaker had signed on a "long-term" contract.
The London club agreed a deal for the player with his former club, Zenit St Petersburg, just minutes before yesterday’s 5pm transfer deadline and had to wait until today for the move to be ratified by the Premier League.
Arsenal have not yet released information about Arshavin’s fee, but it is believed to be around €16.5million.
The club have not won a major competition since they triumphed over Manchester United in the FA Cup final in 2005, one year after they went unbeaten to claim the Premier League title.
The 27-year-old is adamant that he has joined one of the best clubs in the world and is sure he can help add silverware to the Gunners trophy cabinet.
“I am so happy to be joining Arsenal. They are one of the leading football clubs in the world, with a group of fantastic young players and a great manager,” he said.
“I am looking forward to making the Arsenal supporters happy and helping this great club win trophies.
“I’m happy to be an Arsenal player, it was my dream.”
The Russian revealed the prospect of playing under Wenger was one of many reasons why he had his heart set on the move.
Arshavin had been linked with a move to Barcelona after he shot to fame following his outstanding performances during Euro 2008, but the Russian said he was happy to join the Gunners, thanks partly due to Wenger.
Arshavin said: “I moved because I like the Arsenal style, Wenger as a coach and I like some of their players.”
The club are thought to have been locked in negotiations with Zenit over the switch since the transfer window re-opened.
“I followed each game and from the moment when I met Arsene Wenger,” he added.
“He told me every time I talked to him, he said: ‘I want you to come to Arsenal’. He had confidence in me.”
When asked if he had a message to the Arsenal fans, the 2006 Russian Footballer of the Year answered: “Trust in me and Arsenal.”
The transfer was the most protracted of the window and the club could not announce the transfer until 24 hours after the deadline.
Arshavin, who has played 41 times for his country, therefore admitted he was glad to put the controversy around his transfer behind him.
“It was a very hard few days for me but now it doesn’t matter because I’m a Gunner, it’s great,” he said.
Having played for Zenit in this year’s Champions League, Arshavin will not be able to play for the Gunners in the competition.
Wenger hopes the Russian will kickstart the club’s campaign for qualification to the Champions League next term, however.
“We are delighted to have signed Andrei Arshavin, he is a player I have admired for a long time,” the Frenchman said.
“He is a versatile player with great experience, who will add real quality to our squad.
“Andrei is an exciting impact player with a huge amount of ability and has been an influential force with both Zenit St Petersburg and the Russian national team in recent seasons.”
Arshavin, who will wear the number 23 shirt, is unlikely to make his debut in Sunday’s north-London derby because the Russian domestic season finished in November.
He believes it will take him up to two weeks to return to full fitness but insisted he will have no problems adapting to the English game.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, meanwhile, said the Arsenal board had always backed Wenger’s pursuit of the star, who was a member of Zenit’s 2008 Uefa Cup winning side.
“Andrei was identified by Arsene as a quality creative player that would add something special to this youthful but talented squad,” Gazidis said.
“The board has always backed the manager with his transfer targets and we are delighted to welcome Andrei to the club where he will help us to challenge for honours this season.”
FACTFILE
1981: May 29 —Born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg.
1999:Begins playing as a midfielder for Zenit St Petersburg's farm club, Zenit-2, in the Russian second division.
2000:Makes his debut for Zenit's first team in a 3-0 win away to Bradford City in the Intertoto Cup.
2002: May 17 —Makes his debut for Russia against Belarus.
2003: February 13 —Scores his first goal for Russia in a 4-2 victory over Romania.
2006:Named Russian Footballer of the Year.
2007: November —Helps Zenit win their first Russian Premier League title since 1984, starting every game and scoring 10 goals along the way.
2008: May 14 —Wins the Uefa Cup with Zenit and is named man of the match in the 2-0 win over Rangers in the final.
June —Reaches the semi-finals of Euro 2008 with Russia, where they are knocked out by eventual winners Spain. He scores two goals in the tournament, including against Holland in the quarter finals, and is named in the Uefa 'Team of the Tournament'.
August 29 —Wins Uefa Super Cup with Zenit, beating Manchester United 2-1.
October —Nominated for the Ballon d'Or, but eventually finishes sixth.
2009: February 3 —Finally completes protracted transfer to Arsenal, the deal only being ratified by the Premier League the day after the transfer window closed.
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