View From The Sphere

‘I’m not going to leave Arsenal’

|

Andrey Arshavin has recently declared that he will not be leaving the club this summer, despite strong rumours linking him with a move back to former club Zenit St. Petersburg. But is this good or bad news for Arsenal and their fans?

Personally, I think it’s good.

Admittedly, Arshavin hasn’t been good enough this season. The Russian forward did suffer a severe drop in form, which saw him benched towards the end of the season in favour of Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri. But in a handful of matches this season, the 29-year-old did make an impact – the game against Barcelona at the Emirates in the Champions League comes to mind.

A lot of people and fans seem to forget about the good performances, and just remember the poor ones which blighted his season. Its not just Arshavin who wasn’t good enough this season; the whole team were to blame. There were some more stand out players that weren’t up to scratch, and I don’t feel Arshavin was one of them. Yes he was poor, but he wasn’t the worst player in the squad, and certainly wasn’t the worst going forward either. He was mediocre at best, which of course isn’t good enough. However, the signs of his quality were there.

I just feel the Russian was lacking in confidence that’s all. And I believe in every Arsenal fans heads and hearts, they do deem him as a brilliant player, and want him at the club.

Look at the way he destroyed teams back in Euro 2008. Unfortunately, Russia didn’t qualify for the World Cup, so we couldn’t see him on a bigger stage over the summer.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Arshavin said:

‘Don’t believe the rumours. Everything is good with Arsene Wenger. I’m not going to leave Arsenal.’

This is great to hear. The Gunners need their best players to remain at the club and show to others, especially the contract rebels, that they are committed to Arsenal, and more importantly, committed to winning trophies next season. Not just a club where everyone walks away.

Arshavin has shown he wants to wear the badge; he wants to wear the shirt, and to be honest, I want players at the club that want to play for Arsenal and I admire that from the Russian.

He could of walked away knowing that he hasn’t won anything since he’s been at the club, but he hasn’t which shows loyalty.

If Arshavin can lose a little weight (which he seems to have put on) during the pre-season, get his shooting boots back on, as well as tracking back like he has been doing recently, the form he showed for us in the season before last will definitely return. Once his confidence returns, and I feel it will over pre-season, Arshavin will be the player that he was when we signed him.

Arshavin IS a good player and we’d be very stupid to let him go. Plus, he has got the experience that the team certainly needs. Besides, if he goes, who are we going to sign? Stewart Downing!

I for one am glad to hear Arshavin staying put, and for the ones who want him out, I truly hope he proves you lot wrong.

Like what you read? Then follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/CaptainKICKS

Visit and Join our Facebook page, click HERE to do so.

Gunnersphere is currently looking for new writers to join the squad. Contact via twitter or at Gunnersphere@snack-media.com for further details.

Share this article

14 comments

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *