Archive for the ‘Andrei Arshavin’ Category
LONDON: Robbie Keane’s return to Tottenham Hotspur was not enough to prevent Sunday’s North London derby ending in a frustrating scoreless draw despite Arsenal being reduced to ten men following Emmanuel Eboue’s first half dismissal.
Ultimately Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was relieved his under-manned side managed to escape with a point but they now lie four points off fourth-placed Chelsea with growing doubts surrounding their hopes of Champions League qualification.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, meanwhile was left to contemplate a wasted opportunity for his team to drag themselves four points clear of the relegation zone.
Redknapp claims Keane’s arrival back at White Hart Lane from Liverpool has given his beleaguered squad an instant lift.
But that feel-good factor was almost immediately wiped out when Robin van Persie carved open Spurs’ suspect defence with a neat flick that allowed Eboue to race into the home box and deliver a teasing ball across the face of goal.
Had Emmanuel Adebayor been a yard further forward, Keane’s homecoming party would have been brought to an abrupt halt after just five minutes.
The Irishman’s enthusiasm was clearly having a galvanising effect on his team-mates and his powerful runs into the left hand channel threatened to create an opening for new strike-partner Roman Pavlyuchenko.
But it was Arsenal who managed to find the net first when Eboue finished from close range only to see the 13th minute effort disallowed for an innocuous foul on Jonathan Woodgate.
That was the first of a series of frustrations for the headstrong midfielder and four minutes later he was needlessly booked for failing to retreat at a free-kick.
And from that point Arsenal’s early dominance quickly began to fade as Spurs – and Luka Modric in particular – began to take control of the central areas of the pitch, forcing the visitors onto the back-foot.
Modric’s slight frame proved far too elusive for the Arsenal midfield and a combination of the Croatian’s vision together with a perfectly weighted pass freed Aaron Lennon inside the box only for the right winger to skew his left foot shot horribly wide.
Modric produced a much more effective effort when he went it alone moments later, forcing Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia into a hurried save with a skidding 20-yard drive.
Arsenal were looking increasingly ragged and the growing sense that this would not be their afternoon increased when Adebayor pulled up abruptly in the 34th minute with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for weeks.
But worse was to come three minutes later when Eboue became tangled with Modric and kicked out at the Spurs player to earn a second yellow card and with it a foolish dismissal.
The advantage had been handed emphatically to Tottenham but they showed few signs of possessing the composure needed to translate that into goals.
Chances went begging, with the guiltiest culprit being Pavlyuchenko who demonstrated a shocking lack of composure after easily cutting inside Kolo Toure, choosing to blast the ball over when three of his team-mates were better placed in front of goal.
And Keane came close to claiming the goal that would have capped his week when he connected with Aaron Lennon’s right wing cross, sending a header beyond Almunia and narrowly over the crossbar.
The striker came close again with a 71st minute shot but in between those efforts, the numerically disasdvantaged Gunners had the best chance of the afternoon to claim all three point when Alex Song evaded his marker and volleyed Van Persie’s corner wide from just six yards out.
Wenger’s hot new signing, Russian Andrei Arshavin, had his first taste of life in the Premier League but only as an unused substitute. – AFP/de
Channel News Asia
LONDON: Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham Hotspur from Liverpool on Monday’s final day of the January transfer window.
But Arsenal were left waiting to tie up the loose ends on a deal to sign Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.
Keane left Tottenham for Liverpool, the club he supported as a boy, in July in a 20 million pounds move yet struggled to convince manager Rafael Benitez he was worthy of a place in the team.
The Republic of Ireland striker sidelined at Anfield and wasn’t even in the squad for Sunday’s 2-0 win over Premier League title rivals Chelsea.
But on Monday the 28-year-old former Spurs captain followed Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda in returning to White Hart Lane during the January window and manager Harry Redknapp said: “They were all good players that the chairman didn’t want to lose in the first place. I think they are terrific signings for the club.
“Robbie will make a terrific impact, he is a boy who wants to win and you need that at the club,” Redknapp added.
The heavy snow-falls in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, which prevented some players travelling to sign for clubs, led officials at the Premier League to extend Monday’s 1730GMT deadline provided they had e-mail confirmation from both the buying and selling clubs that a deal had been agreed.
Arsenal sources told AFP that 27-year-old Russia international midfielder Arshavin, who starred at Euro 2008, had joined the Gunners till June 2012 for 12 million pounds (13.3 million euros).
But several hours after the deadline passed, there was still no formal confirmation of Arshavin’s transfer.
However, it appeared the hold-up was primarily to do with the difficulty the Premier League had in processing the sheer volume of late deadline day deals and that the move would go through on Tuesday.
Manchester City let Brazilian striker Jo move to Everton on loan on a day where their pursuit of Blackburn Rovers’ Roque Santa Cruz appeared to come to an end after the two teams failed to agree on a fee for the Paraguay forward.
Chelsea, looking for a lift after that loss to Liverpool left them five points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, brought in Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan from Inter Milan after he was left out of former Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s Champions League squad.
Charles N’Zogbia, insulted by manager Joe Kinnear’s failure to remember his name during a television interview last week, moved from Newcastle to Wigan with Ryan Taylor heading in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile striker Henri Camara, no longer a first-team regular at the JJB, stayed in the top flight after going on loan to Stoke City. Fulham signed the experienced Olivier Dacourt on loan from Inter.
Portsmouth, just one point above the relegation zone, signed Greece midfielder Angelos Bassinos from AEK Athens but decided against going ahead with a move to bring in Spurs’s Giovani dos Santos.
Sunderland’s Michael Chopra was loaned to Championship promotion contenders Cardiff City while basement club West Bromwich Albion made two signings in Youssouf Mulumbu and Juan Carlos Menseguez.
West Ham defender Calum Davenport moved from West Ham to Sunderland on loan and Tal Ben Haim also joined the Black Cats on loan, from Manchester City.
Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United centre-back James Chester loaned to third-tier Peterborough, where the Scottish boss’s son Darren is the manager, on a one-month loan deal. – AFP/de
Channel News Asia
LONDON: Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham Hotspur from Liverpool on Monday’s final day of the January transfer window.
But Arsenal were left waiting to tie up the loose ends on a deal to sign Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.
Keane left Tottenham for Liverpool, the club he supported as a boy, in July in a 20 million pounds move yet struggled to convince manager Rafael Benitez he was worthy of a place in the team.
The Republic of Ireland striker sidelined at Anfield and wasn’t even in the squad for Sunday’s 2-0 win over Premier League title rivals Chelsea.
But on Monday the 28-year-old former Spurs captain followed Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda in returning to White Hart Lane during the January window and manager Harry Redknapp said: “They were all good players that the chairman didn’t want to lose in the first place. I think they are terrific signings for the club.
“Robbie will make a terrific impact, he is a boy who wants to win and you need that at the club,” Redknapp added.
The heavy snow-falls in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, which prevented some players travelling to sign for clubs, led officials at the Premier League to extend Monday’s 1730GMT deadline provided they had e-mail confirmation from both the buying and selling clubs that a deal had been agreed.
Arsenal sources told AFP that 27-year-old Russia international midfielder Arshavin, who starred at Euro 2008, had joined the Gunners till June 2012 for 12 million pounds (13.3 million euros).
But several hours after the deadline passed, there was still no formal confirmation of Arshavin’s transfer.
However, it appeared the hold-up was primarily to do with the difficulty the Premier League had in processing the sheer volume of late deadline day deals and that the move would go through on Tuesday.
Manchester City let Brazilian striker Jo move to Everton on loan on a day where their pursuit of Blackburn Rovers’ Roque Santa Cruz appeared to come to an end after the two teams failed to agree on a fee for the Paraguay forward.
Chelsea, looking for a lift after that loss to Liverpool left them five points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, brought in Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan from Inter Milan after he was left out of former Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s Champions League squad.
Charles N’Zogbia, insulted by manager Joe Kinnear’s failure to remember his name during a television interview last week, moved from Newcastle to Wigan with Ryan Taylor heading in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile striker Henri Camara, no longer a first-team regular at the JJB, stayed in the top flight after going on loan to Stoke City. Fulham signed the experienced Olivier Dacourt on loan from Inter.
Portsmouth, just one point above the relegation zone, signed Greece midfielder Angelos Bassinos from AEK Athens but decided against going ahead with a move to bring in Spurs’s Giovani dos Santos.
Sunderland’s Michael Chopra was loaned to Championship promotion contenders Cardiff City while basement club West Bromwich Albion made two signings in Youssouf Mulumbu and Juan Carlos Menseguez.
West Ham defender Calum Davenport moved from West Ham to Sunderland on loan and Tal Ben Haim also joined the Black Cats on loan, from Manchester City.
Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United centre-back James Chester loaned to third-tier Peterborough, where the Scottish boss’s son Darren is the manager, on a one-month loan deal. – AFP/de
Channel News Asia
MOSCOW: Zenit St Petersburg confirmed on Tuesday that their international midfielder Andrei Arshavin has been signed by Arsenal.
However the Russian side said the value of the deal was higher than the 12 million pounds (13.3 million euros) announced by the Gunners on Monday.
“Both clubs have managed to complete the deal. Arshavin will play for Arsenal from now on,” Alexei Petrov, a spokesman for Zenit told Russian television.
Petrov added that Zenit received much more money than 12 million pounds, which Arsenal announced on Monday, refusing however to disclose the final value of the deal.
“The conditions of the contract are very favourable for Zenit,” Petrov said. “The value of the deal is much more than 12 million pounds.”
On Monday sources at the Premier League side announced that Arshavin had joined the north London club till June 2012.
But several hours after the 1730GMT transfer deadline passed, there was still no formal confirmation of Arshavin’s transfer.
However, it appeared the hold-up was primarily to do with the difficulty the Premier League had in processing the sheer volume of late deadline day deals and that the move would go through on Tuesday.
Conflicting signals had been emerging from Arsenal’s Emirates stadium and Russia throughout the day as the deadline came and went and a Zenit club spokesman had even said the deal had fallen through.
The deal apparently hit a last-minute snag when Zenit demanded a portion of Arshavin’s signing on fee.
He will probably not make his debut for the Gunners for a few weeks because he will have to work on physical conditioning to adapt to the rigours of the English game.
The 27-year-old was a major revelation at the Euro 2008 tournament when Russia reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Spain.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has on many occasions spoken of his admiration for the player. – AFP/de
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Thursday he was “very hopeful” the club would sign Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin before the end of the January transfer window.
The Premier League side have already seen Arshavin’s club Zenit St Petersburg reject an offer of 10 million pounds for the 27-year-old.
Wenger, who will be without injured captain Cesc Fabregas until April, said: “We are not close to signing anybody, but there again, we are in negotiations, yes – but we want to respect our principles.
“I am very hopeful. There is time left in the transfer window because we have only crossed halfway.
“But if it does not happen, it does not happen. There again, we want to continue to improve and focus and what we can continue to improve here with the players we have.
“I believe we have a strong team and we want to do the maximum with the team we have.”
Wenger added: “Do not forget that we have (Tomas) Rosicky, Fabregas, (Theo) Walcott, who are all creative and offensive players, they will come back at some stage. That is like being on a transfer market for us.
“Eduardo has also recovered very well and his coming back will be like a new signing as well. He will be back in two to three weeks.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Thursday he was “very hopeful” the club would sign Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin before the end of the January transfer window.
The Premier League side have already seen Arshavin’s club Zenit St Petersburg reject an offer of 10 million pounds for the 27-year-old.
Wenger, who will be without injured captain Cesc Fabregas until April, said: “We are not close to signing anybody, but there again, we are in negotiations, yes – but we want to respect our principles.
“I am very hopeful. There is time left in the transfer window because we have only crossed halfway.
“But if it does not happen, it does not happen. There again, we want to continue to improve and focus and what we can continue to improve here with the players we have.
“I believe we have a strong team and we want to do the maximum with the team we have.”
Wenger added: “Do not forget that we have (Tomas) Rosicky, Fabregas, (Theo) Walcott, who are all creative and offensive players, they will come back at some stage. That is like being on a transfer market for us.
“Eduardo has also recovered very well and his coming back will be like a new signing as well. He will be back in two to three weeks.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Thursday he was “very hopeful” the club would sign Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin before the end of the January transfer window.
The Premier League side have already seen Arshavin’s club Zenit St Petersburg reject an offer of 10 million pounds for the 27-year-old.
Wenger, who will be without injured captain Cesc Fabregas until April, said: “We are not close to signing anybody, but there again, we are in negotiations, yes – but we want to respect our principles.
“I am very hopeful. There is time left in the transfer window because we have only crossed halfway.
“But if it does not happen, it does not happen. There again, we want to continue to improve and focus and what we can continue to improve here with the players we have.
“I believe we have a strong team and we want to do the maximum with the team we have.”
Wenger added: “Do not forget that we have (Tomas) Rosicky, Fabregas, (Theo) Walcott, who are all creative and offensive players, they will come back at some stage. That is like being on a transfer market for us.
“Eduardo has also recovered very well and his coming back will be like a new signing as well. He will be back in two to three weeks.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday that he has no intention of spending crazy money in the January transfer window to get Arsenal’s spluttering season back on track.
Wenger’s side have little chance of winning the Premier League after falling 10 points behind leaders Liverpool and the fifth-placed Gunners could even miss out on a place in the Champions League as Aston Villa step up their challenge to finish in the top four.
With captain Cesc Fabregas, England winger Theo Walcott and Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky all sidelined for several months through injuries, Wenger is expected to strengthen his depleted squad this month.
Zenit St Petersburg’s Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin and Everton’s Spain midfielder Mikel Arteta have both been linked with Arsenal.
But Wenger is determined not to risk his club’s security in the current perilous financial climate, so he will only sign players if the price meets his valuation.
“We have a specific budget which is not as big as I have read in the newspapers, some ridiculous amounts of money that are completely crazy. But we will try to use it wisely and well if we can,” he said.
“This team is together, getting stronger and stronger – but what we need to focus on is continually developing and not live in dreamland where we are linked with players of 30 million pounds or 40 million pounds because that is not realistic.
“At the moment, people in football are not conscious of what is facing us economically.
“People still think we are in a bubble, but we will be hit like anybody else in this economical crisis, I am convinced of that.
“You will have a much more cautious market than you expect it to be and one of the isolated powers you could have are Manchester City.
“That will be one of their strengths because they will not have quite as much competition as they would have had in normal circumstances.”
Arsenal have a long-term debt commitment following the move to their new, 60,000-seater home at Ashburton Grove and Wenger knows the Gunners must continue to live within their means.
“What is most important is the club has built a new stadium and we live in a very strong and healthy situation financially,” he said.
“You look how many clubs have done that and we play at the top. “How many clubs have managed to build a new stadium, have a good financial situation and continue to play at the top?
“It is not that we do not want to spend. We have gone for a policy that is to develop our young players and we have to show some character and strength, not listen to everybody who comes out everyday with a new name.”
Wenger does not expect any of his players to leave this month even though Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure recently had a transfer request rejected following a disagreement over team selection.
“The situation is that Kolo is a player who has two-and-a-half-year contract and will remain with us,” Wenger said.
“I am happy with players who are committed and Kolo is a big example.
“There was a minor incident that you can multiply by 20. It happens every day in every club which is sorted out. Kolo is happy here.
“We have a very young and compact squad and I don’t expect anybody to leave.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday that he has no intention of spending crazy money in the January transfer window to get Arsenal’s spluttering season back on track.
Wenger’s side have little chance of winning the Premier League after falling 10 points behind leaders Liverpool and the fifth-placed Gunners could even miss out on a place in the Champions League as Aston Villa step up their challenge to finish in the top four.
With captain Cesc Fabregas, England winger Theo Walcott and Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky all sidelined for several months through injuries, Wenger is expected to strengthen his depleted squad this month.
Zenit St Petersburg’s Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin and Everton’s Spain midfielder Mikel Arteta have both been linked with Arsenal.
But Wenger is determined not to risk his club’s security in the current perilous financial climate, so he will only sign players if the price meets his valuation.
“We have a specific budget which is not as big as I have read in the newspapers, some ridiculous amounts of money that are completely crazy. But we will try to use it wisely and well if we can,” he said.
“This team is together, getting stronger and stronger – but what we need to focus on is continually developing and not live in dreamland where we are linked with players of 30 million pounds or 40 million pounds because that is not realistic.
“At the moment, people in football are not conscious of what is facing us economically.
“People still think we are in a bubble, but we will be hit like anybody else in this economical crisis, I am convinced of that.
“You will have a much more cautious market than you expect it to be and one of the isolated powers you could have are Manchester City.
“That will be one of their strengths because they will not have quite as much competition as they would have had in normal circumstances.”
Arsenal have a long-term debt commitment following the move to their new, 60,000-seater home at Ashburton Grove and Wenger knows the Gunners must continue to live within their means.
“What is most important is the club has built a new stadium and we live in a very strong and healthy situation financially,” he said.
“You look how many clubs have done that and we play at the top. “How many clubs have managed to build a new stadium, have a good financial situation and continue to play at the top?
“It is not that we do not want to spend. We have gone for a policy that is to develop our young players and we have to show some character and strength, not listen to everybody who comes out everyday with a new name.”
Wenger does not expect any of his players to leave this month even though Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure recently had a transfer request rejected following a disagreement over team selection.
“The situation is that Kolo is a player who has two-and-a-half-year contract and will remain with us,” Wenger said.
“I am happy with players who are committed and Kolo is a big example.
“There was a minor incident that you can multiply by 20. It happens every day in every club which is sorted out. Kolo is happy here.
“We have a very young and compact squad and I don’t expect anybody to leave.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
LONDON : Arsene Wenger insisted on Friday that he has no intention of spending crazy money in the January transfer window to get Arsenal’s spluttering season back on track.
Wenger’s side have little chance of winning the Premier League after falling 10 points behind leaders Liverpool and the fifth-placed Gunners could even miss out on a place in the Champions League as Aston Villa step up their challenge to finish in the top four.
With captain Cesc Fabregas, England winger Theo Walcott and Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky all sidelined for several months through injuries, Wenger is expected to strengthen his depleted squad this month.
Zenit St Petersburg’s Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin and Everton’s Spain midfielder Mikel Arteta have both been linked with Arsenal.
But Wenger is determined not to risk his club’s security in the current perilous financial climate, so he will only sign players if the price meets his valuation.
“We have a specific budget which is not as big as I have read in the newspapers, some ridiculous amounts of money that are completely crazy. But we will try to use it wisely and well if we can,” he said.
“This team is together, getting stronger and stronger – but what we need to focus on is continually developing and not live in dreamland where we are linked with players of 30 million pounds or 40 million pounds because that is not realistic.
“At the moment, people in football are not conscious of what is facing us economically.
“People still think we are in a bubble, but we will be hit like anybody else in this economical crisis, I am convinced of that.
“You will have a much more cautious market than you expect it to be and one of the isolated powers you could have are Manchester City.
“That will be one of their strengths because they will not have quite as much competition as they would have had in normal circumstances.”
Arsenal have a long-term debt commitment following the move to their new, 60,000-seater home at Ashburton Grove and Wenger knows the Gunners must continue to live within their means.
“What is most important is the club has built a new stadium and we live in a very strong and healthy situation financially,” he said.
“You look how many clubs have done that and we play at the top. “How many clubs have managed to build a new stadium, have a good financial situation and continue to play at the top?
“It is not that we do not want to spend. We have gone for a policy that is to develop our young players and we have to show some character and strength, not listen to everybody who comes out everyday with a new name.”
Wenger does not expect any of his players to leave this month even though Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure recently had a transfer request rejected following a disagreement over team selection.
“The situation is that Kolo is a player who has two-and-a-half-year contract and will remain with us,” Wenger said.
“I am happy with players who are committed and Kolo is a big example.
“There was a minor incident that you can multiply by 20. It happens every day in every club which is sorted out. Kolo is happy here.
“We have a very young and compact squad and I don’t expect anybody to leave.”
– AFP /ls
Channel News Asia
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