Seriously, what’s up with Andrei Arshavin? We all know what the little Russian is capable of. We’ve seen countless instances where he’s overcome his opponent, using intense acceleration, quick feet and finishing off with his dazzling shots. Every footballer would be lucky to have attributes like these.
In my opinion, he has the potential to be one of the best attacking players our club has ever had. Of course, it would be hard to doubt a footballer of such class. So why am I questioning the future of Andrei?
I’ll put it simply. He frustrates the sh*te out of me! Like I’ve said, Arshavin has the potential to be one of the world’s best. But it seems unlikely that he is going to reach the heights of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta (yes, just a little reminder that Barcelona are pretty good – almost as good as Ipswich!).
Whether he’s “past it” – he’s 30 in May – or whether he’s just pure lazy, I’m concerned for Andrei. Although he has never been the most active player, the way he can change the game within a matter of seconds, makes up for that. I learnt to accept that he can’t do it all the time, so appreciated the times when he did “turn it on”. I’m sure Man United fans feel the same way when watching Dimitar Berbatov – this season anyway!
But it seems that those game-changing moments produced by Arshavin, are becoming rarer by the day. We’ve recently stuck a £17m price tag on him, so whether we cash in on him is another debate. Despite myself doubting Arsene Wenger would actually let Arshavin go, based on the very average season he’s had, it would certainly be tempting to consider an offer – if one ever came in.
Ultimately, Arsene is the man that will have the final say. However, he is also the man that’s leaving Andrei on the bench in Premier League matches, and starting him in domestic cup matches. We’ve played two league matches in 2011 (Birmingham away, and Man City home), and a fully-fit Arshavin has only played 33 minutes in total this calender year.
I don’t know what it is, but there’s a problem. I would also like to stress that I am not demanding we should sell him. I am merely suggesting it. If Arshavin is sold, I would be immensely surprised.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
