Andrei Arshavin has given short shrift to reports that
he could be seeking a shock return to Zenit St Petersburg just four
short months since his highly-productive move to
Arsenal.
Arshavin joined The Gunners from Zenit on February 2 in
a club record £15 million move and immediately made a significant
impact in North London, scoring six times in 12 league games and
contributing seven assists.
The Russian international has quickly become a firm fans’
favourite at Emirates Stadium thanks to his beguiling style of play
and expectation is high ahead of next season when the club will
seek to end their four-year wait for a trophy.
But Arshavin’s public reservations about the 50p tax rate in
England had led to suggestions that the forward could seek refuge
with his former club where he could earn considerably more than he
does so at present.
Arshavin has been training with Zenit in recent days but is
adamant he is not even considering leaving Arsenal, telling Sport
Express: “I do not consider it necessary to comment on [the
rumours].
“It is just not a topic for conversation.”
"I spent a week in St. Petersburg training with my former club –
Zenit," Arshavin explained. "Everybody was quite kind to me. I
cannot say that I communicated a lot with anyone just a bit with
everybody.
"I hope that these trainings in my former club would be useful.
In any case they were better than a week of doing nothing.
"I don’t think that the attitude of people in St. Petersburg has
changed when I left. As far as I can see they like me equally even
though I am playing in a different team now.”
Arshavin was also asked by Russian journalists which of his
international colleagues he would recommend to Arsenal’s Premier
League rivals, and touted goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and Alexander
Anyukov as potential Premier League stars.
“Given that Van der Sar will not be around forever, Ferguson is
most in need of a goalkeeper,” Arshavin added. “I therefore advise
him to sign Akinfeev.
“And Liverpool? Perhaps Anyukov.”