Arshavin is likely to make his debut against
Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal confirmed yesterday that Eduardo da Silva will
be sidelined for two weeks with a hamstring injury. The Croatia
striker completed a remarkable recovery after breaking a leg and
dislocating an ankle by scoring twice against Cardiff City in the
FA Cup fourth-round replay on Monday, but his first start for
almost a year was cut short in the 67th minute when he left the
pitch with a hamstring strain. “What a nightmare,” Arsène Wenger,
the Arsenal manager, said. “It is a blow because he can score
goals. He had shown that on Monday night.”
Eduardo’s misfortune is likely to mean that Andrey Arshavin will
make his debut against Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium in the
Barclays Premier League tomorrow. Wenger believes that the Russia
playmaker, who moved to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg for £12
million last month, can transform the club’s season. “It is a
statement of intent, but we always have the same intentions and
that is to be the best in the world,” Wenger said.
Arshavin’s protracted move from Zenit almost collapsed on the
final day of the transfer window and Wenger has revealed that the
Russian nearly joined Tottenham Hotspur last summer. “Tottenham
were close to signing him, but they didn’t do it in the end because
of problems with negotiations,” the manager said. “We have been
aware of him for a long time, but basically the transfer lasted a
month from the first contact with the player and his agent. The
negotiations with Zenit also took a long time.”
The Russian is one of the best players in Europe, but Wenger
believes that he saw the best player in the world when he watched
Argentina beat France 2-0 last week. “There was an absolute
superstar on the pitch and that was Lionel Messi,” Wenger said. “I
would pay to watch him because it’s just a pleasure to see him
play. I see big comparisons between him and Maradona, although I
must say it’s in favour of Messi. Don’t forget he’s still young,
the same age as Cesc. We knew about him when he was playing in the
same youth team as Cesc, but there was never a chance of getting
him because his family was in Barcelona and he was linked with the
club.”
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