Andrei Arshavin: Wenger's worst signing or a wasted talent?

Arshavin will have to do more than this to silence his critics

The little Russian was a deadline day transfer for Arsenal in the 2008-09 season, becoming the club’s record signing. The then Russia captain was signed for £15 million from Zenit St Petersburg, and Arsenal fans all over the world hailed Wenger for the transfer. Arshavin came with a high reputation after being included in the “Team of the tournament” of Euro 2008. With some brilliant performances, he helped Russia reach the semi-finals, only to be knocked out by champions Spain.

Andrei was happy with the move, and also said in an interview that “he is happy to be a Gunner”.

At an age of 27 during his switch, few wondered if he would be able to adapt to English football. But just within months of his arrival, he famously scored four goals at Anfield and silenced his critics.

Even though Arshavin was often played at a position that he wasn’t familiar with, he did manage to get the job done. One such match was when Arsenal played Stoke City in December of the 2009-10 season. He was deployed as a centre-forward in the match as Arsenal’s regular striker, Robin van Persie was out with an injury. Arshavin managed to score a goal in that match and also provided an assist. He also found the net in the game against Barcelona in the 2010-11 Champions League, that helped Arsenal grab their first ever victory against the Catalan club.

But success was short lived for the 2006 Russian Player of the Year. Injuries and a dip in form sent him down the pecking order at the club. Fans labelled him as lazy and uncommitted, and Arsene Wenger lost faith in him. He was sent on loan to his former club Zenit St Petersburg in January 2012 for the remainder of the season.

This season, Arshavin has started only a handful of games. The Russian was heavily linked with a move to Reading, and that possibly could have reignited his career, but Arshavin refused to play at a relegation-threatened club and denied the move.

Reports now say that he is thinking of retiring at the end of the season, as Arsenal have no interest in extending his contract. At just 31, Shava surely has a lot more to give.

So is Arshavin the worst Arsenal signing ever? Marouane Chamakh also springs to mind, having had a good start to his Arsenal career before finding himself out of favour, but Arshavin is any day a better quality player than the Moroccan. Andre Santos was another signing that proved to be disastrous, while Park Chu-Young was expected to have a bright future too, before making only one appearance in Arsenal colours since his transfer in 2011.

All these players did cost way lesser than Arshavin and may not have had as high a reputation prior to their move to the Gunners. But Arshavin has shown that he can still perform at the top level, as he was statistically the best midfielder of the tournament in Euro 2012, for providing the most assists in the least time on field.

Maybe Arshavin just needs the support from the fans. There is no doubt that he is a world class player. As they say, “Form is temporary, class is permanent”. Let’s just hope that whatever decision Arshavin makes at the end of the season, it’s the right one.