Andrei Arshavin came to Arsenal in 2009 with a lot of promise, as he became the club’s record signing back then. He did seem worthy of the transfer fee during the first two years at the club.
He was instrumental in scoring and assisting goals, as Arsenal took advantage of his incredible versatility to start and end matches extremely well. However, the enthusiasm appeared to go away from his game in the last few years. This led to his return to Russian football with Zenit St Petersburg. Since his return, he has been a regular first-team player for the club.
Assistant manager at Zenit, Vladislav Radimov says that the club were initially sceptical about the signing of the Russian international, but he has proven more than a successful with hard work during training. Radimov is of the opinion that Arshavin is currently the strongest player at the club. Zenit have long been considered as one of the top clubs in Europe. The real test for Arshavin will come in the Champions League when the Russian outfit take on Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 stage. The Germans do not come into the match in the best of shapes, but they will be a formidable opposition nonetheless.
Dortmund reached the final of the Champions League last season.
"To be honest, I was sceptical about what level he'd be at when he returned. But this Arshavin looks very assured, healthy. At the moment I think he's Zenit's strongest player - both in terms of his physical preparation and behaviour on the pitch. I'm very happy for him!" said Radimov a few weeks ago. "I don't regret anything, but I had to leave. To train even though you know you won't play - it is psychologically difficult,” said the 32-year-old prior to leaving Arsenal.