Newcastle United and Fulham have been linked with Arsenal’s out of sorts forward Andrey Arshavin, but the Magpies would be advised to steer clear of the inconsistent Russian.
There have been some strange players rumoured with a move to Newcastle this summer, but few have come from as far left field as Andrey Arshavin.
The 31-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan in his homeland with Zenit St Petersburg, and while he had an encouraging Euro 2012, his performances in the Premier League for the Gunners in recent years haven’t been far short of abysmal.
The days when he ran Euro 2008 for Russia and had an impressive start in his Arsenal career are long gone and a move away from English football seems most likely.
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However, Arshavin was first linked with Newcastle last week by Transfer Market Web, and now this week Turkish Sources (perhaps not the most reliable of sources) have said that the Magpies and Fulham are waiting to see the result of Galatasaray’s £4 million bid, with Arsenal thought to want £7m.
Stranger things have happened and the Russian may be a very experienced international footballer, but I’d be very surprised to see Andrey Arshavin wearing the black and white stripes of Newcastle United next season.
While he’d cost less than half of the £15m that Arsenal paid for him in 2009, there’d be little sell-on value as he’s half a decade older than Newcastle’s 26 or younger purchasing policy.
That’s not to mention his temperamental personality and the fact that he doesn’t seem to think twice before speaking out against his employers.
Andrey Arshavin to Newcastle United? Pull the other one!
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