Arsenal midfielder Andrei Arshavin has said that he is extremely sorry for the disappointing performance in Russia put in at the Euro 2012. Russia managed to reach the semifinals of the Euro 2008, but they went out of the competition in the group stages after suffering two defeats in the last two group matches. Russia opened the account with a thrilling 4-1 win over Czech Republic.

However, they failed to reproduce the same result in the matches against Greece and Poland. As a result, they have been knocked out of the competition, despite having some of the best players in the world like Andrei Arshavin.

Speaking after the exit from the competition to Arsenal news, the Arsenal midfielder, who is on loan at Russian club Zenit St Petersburg, apologised for the poor performance by Russia in the last two group matches. Andrei Arshavin was one of the impressive players for Russia in the opening win over Czech Republic. Since then, his performance has gone down the hill, and Russia missed out on a chance to face off against a Cesc Fabregas inspired Spain team.

Arshavin also made certain ill advised comments about the Russian national team following the exit from the Euro 2012, which has not gone well with his club owner Gazprom. The Zenit St Petersburg owner has criticised Andrei Arshavin for this attitude to the national team.

"The result has disappointed us and, of course, all our fans. We understand that. s team captain, on behalf of our players and myself personally, I would like to apologise for our performance and the result that we had. It's not right to shy away (from criticism). That's why I took this moment to say something on this subject. I will do it only once and will not talk about this any further," said Arshavin after issuing the apology on the local TV following Russia's elimination from the Euro 2012.

After a superb start to his Arsenal career Andrei Arshavin has failed to uphold his form in recent seasons. Nonetheless with a successful loan spell to Zenit St Petersburg and with the European Championships still to come, could the Russian Captain finally be finding his form once again?

The 30 year olds failure at Arsenal could be attributed to a list of injuries and Russia’s failure to quality for the 2010 world cup which reportedly hit the International hard. The good news for Arsenal is that Arshavins best runs have always come after a competition with Russia, where he has been able to perform at a consistently high level even when struggling domestically.

Despite suggestions that the Winger may be leaving the Gunners this summer after the player announced that he would be making a decision on his future following Russia’s Euro 2012 campaign. I am of the belief that Arsenal would be foolish to let him go. Firstly at 30, Arshavin still has plenty left to give as a footballer.

On top of this, Arsenal have struggled to get any attacking midfielder to play consistently well. Rosicky, Walcott and Ramsey have all been hit and miss this season and so a potentially revitalised Arshavin would be a real blessing for Arsene Wenger. Perhaps the biggest reason to keep him is that he has experience of paying on the biggest stages and playing well on those stages. With a typical youthful side Wenger needs players with the experience of Arshavin.

As well as these on pitch reasons, selling Arshavin now would see very little return on the £15million which brought him to the Emirates. Although it is felt the Russian still has plenty to offer at Arsenal, with the incoming Podolski and the likelihood of more transfers this summer, Arshavin may have to leave to balance the books. A bargain to be had if someone will willing to take the risk.

Andrei Arshavin's Arsenal career seems to be on the line now after it was revealed in a number of British tabloids that Arsene Wenger will reportedly considered selling the Russian player in the January transfer window.

Even though Arsenal are definitely not short of cash right now – after the sale of summer Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in the summer, it seems that Arsene Wenger has grown frustrated about the performances from the Russian. Even though Andrei Arshavin impressed spectacularly during the early part of this Arsenal career, it has all gone horribly wrong in the recent seasons.

Andrei Arshavin has been struggling for both form and fitness and it seems that Arsene Wenger is prepared to cash in on the striker when his market value is pretty decent itself. The 30-year-old striker only has a few more years of high level football left in him and his transfer value is necessarily not going to increase over the next few years. Hence, Arsene Wenger is prepared to take a loss on the frontman and be interested in listening in offers for the Russian playmaker. One of the reasons that has been branded about for the apparent failure of Andrei Arshavin in North London is the system Arsenal use.

The 4-3-3 formation is necessarily not the perfect system for Andrei Arshavin, who likes to play just behind the striker. He has been utilised as a winger by Arsene Wenger and it has not necessarily suited the Russian. It has also been revealed that Arsenal will be prepared to listen to offers for Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh. Despite being a free transfer, Marouane Chamakh is proving to be a great disappointment for Arsenal this season. Arsenal will be looking to reinvest the cash generated from the sale of these players.