Arshavin rubbishes Arsenal exit talk
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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.”