Teamtalk teamtalk

Arshavin set for Prem - Wenger

Wed 25 Jun, 08:15 AM


Arsene Wenger believes Russia's Euro 2008 hero Andrei Arshavin will move to England or Italy - and not Spain, as the player himself prefers.The magical midfielder has proved an electrifying presence in Austria and Switzerland as his unfancied team have progressed to Thursday's semi-final against Spain in Vienna.

His impressive performances against Sweden and Holland have come after the player inspired Zenit St Petersburg to their UEFA Cup final triumph over Rangers in Manchester.

Such fantastic play has led the midfield dynamo to become one of the hottest properties in world football.

Arshavin himself has spoken of how joining Barcelona - who he has supported all his life - would be a 'dream'.

But the canny Wenger - who has proved himself a great judge in the transfer market - believes the Russian will be bound for the Premier League or Serie A.

He said: "What is quite amazing is that Russia is the only country where a player like Arshavin suddenly comes to the world's attention at the age of 27. That is not possible anywhere else.

"I wish I'd seem him at 21 or 22. I predict he will come to the Premier League, or go to a big club in Italy. The way he plays is something very special."

He added: "He could be tempted by wanting to play in the best league, of course. And it could happen. Would you be surprised? If you ask me do I think he will be in the Premier League? I would say yes because that's a prediction."

But Wenger admitted he does not know the situation at Zenit, or whether the player wishes to stay with the Russian side.

"Maybe he'll want to stay because they play in the Champions League," added the Frenchman.

More Football News from TEAMtalk

 

Comment 1 - 2 of 2

Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated
  1. tomxshen, you should see more of Arshavin to correctly assess his potential and future in football - premier league or not. I bet his will be more like Nedved's entry into the Italian league

    From TonyO, on Wed 25 Jun 10:11AM
  2. arshavin is another rossi of 1982. he will not be a hot topic after the tournament. whether he is going to join premier league or not, his performance won't last long in the next season.

    From tomxshen, on Wed 25 Jun 8:29AM
Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account