'Slave' Arshavin Goes On Strike For Spurs Move

zocoss SG

Tottenham are now believed to be in the box-seat to land Arshavin, but the move could be in jeopardy after the 27-year-old refused to play as Zenit crashed out if the Russian Cup on Wednesday.

To Arshavin's frustration, the Uefa Cup holders are refusing to budge from their £27million valuation and White Hart Lane officials are unwilling to meet the price tag.

And in an echo of the comments of Fifa president Sepp Blatter in the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga, Arshavin's agent, Dennis Lachter, claims the player is being mistreated, telling The Independent: "This is the Russian way.

"Nothing will change because this is the old Soviet Union way. For the Russian sports establishment the desires of the player mean absolutely nothing. "They are the big bosses. It is a dictatorship. He is a slave."

Y_Shun SG

I think he is going SPURS because he cannot stay there anymore after his protests.

Chris88110 SG

Screw him, he and ronaldo the same. Pity Zenit don't have a coach like SAF

youyayu SG

another faggot

Y_Shun SG

Zenit St Petersburg forward Andrei Arshavin has revealed his frustration at the delay over his proposed move to Tottenham - and hopes his 'whining' will convince bosses to let him leave.

The UEFA Cup holders have rejected formal bids from Barcelona and Tottenham for Arshavin, whose inspirational performances led Russia to the Euro 2008 semi-finals.

Zenit have raised Arshavin's price tag to a reported 27 million euros, with the 27-year-old now fearing he has been priced out of the market.

'My desire to leave is still as strong, but there is nothing more to do now other than hope for a miracle. I understand perfectly well that if I don't move on now, I probably never will.

With the prospect of his dream move to Barcelona over for now after the Catalans signed Alexander Hleb, Arshavin has turned his attention to the English Premier League and reiterated his desire to work with Spurs coach Juande Ramos.

'When Tottenham made their offer I was sceptical at first,' Arshavin continued. 'But after Ramos called me personally and told me that that they were selling Robbie Keane and that he wanted me in his side, the situation changed.

'A short while later a representative from Spurs arrived to discuss my personal terms and contract. The discussion didn't take long and we agreed on everything quickly. Only then did my asking price go up.

'Tottenham have a decent squad with (Luka) Modric, (Dimitar) Berbatov and other players, and the club is fully capable of fighting for a place in the Champions League.

'The main thing is to try my strengths in a league like the English Premier League and play against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal on a regular basis rather than once every five years.'

Despite the breakdown in negotiations, Zenit coach Dick Advocaat believes the club have not heard the last from Tottenham and is confident the deal can be resurrected.

The Dutchman told Rossiskaya Gazeta: 'I am sure Tottenham will be back to make another, more suitable offer for Arshavin's transfer. There is no set time period or deadline for this. Zenit are doing everything in the correct way.

'If Tottenham can sell Robbie Keane to Liverpool for 25 million euros then in my opinion they should pay good money for Arshavin.'

Arshavin is currently preparing to fly to Kazan for Zenit's crucial Premier Liga match against league leaders Rubin tomorrow despite reports in the English press that the player is 'on strike'.

Saltiga SG

he is probably a flash in the pan thats all

zocoss SG

As good as Robbie Keane is, I think this Arshavin is better than him... I feel he was the main reason Zenit won the Uefa cup... a speedy playmaker...

zocoss SG

Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin said he would gladly take a pay cut to play abroad but Zenit St Petersburg were making his departure increasingly difficult, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday.

"I really wanted to, and still want to, leave. But my club, which didn't want to let me go in the first place, is doing everything possible so that it doesn't happen," Friday's Sport Express quoted Arshavin as saying.

He led Russia to the Euro 2008 semi-finals and Zenit to their first UEFA Cup triumph in May but made no secret his desire to move to Barcelona. However, Zenit rejected a 15 million euro ($22.75 million) bid from the Catalan club in July.

"I can only say that if I go abroad, I will earn less than I get in Russia," he said, adding he had not yet given up hope of joining Premier League club Tottenham.

Zenit coach Dick Advocaat in an interview with Rossisskaya Gazeta newspaper said he wanted Arshavin to stay in Russia but a move to Europe was understandable and natural.

"First of all, we all want him to stay at Zenit. But in general, of course, a good move could be a step forward in his career. Andrei has been playing for Zenit for seven years," Advocaat said.

Arshavin earns three million euros per year at Zenit, the highest salary in Russia's league, according to local media.