The transfer that so nearly never happened, Andrey Arshavin’s move to Arsenal in 2009 was like something out of a Hollywood script.
Arshavin joined the Gunners from Zenit St Petersburg for a then club-record £15million in February 2009 – almost 24 hours after the transfer window had ended.
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Adverse weather conditions and Zenit’s demands almost saw the deal fall through.
While the player himself admitted he was keen on joining Tottenham before Arsenal swooped in to sign him during the winter transfer window.
Flash back to the summer of 2008 and Arshavin was hot property having inspired Zenit to UEFA Cup glory over Rangers in the final, before guiding Russia into the semi-finals of the European Championship.
His dazzling displays – in particular his quarter-final performance against the Netherlands – saw the versatile playmaker named in the Team of the Tournament.
It led Barcelona to make an offer, only for Zenit to reject an approach from Arshavin’s dream club, before Spurs came calling.
But despite negotiations being at an advanced stage, an agreement couldn’t be reached – much to Arshavin’s disappointment.
Speaking at the time in August 2008, the now-42-year-old said: “When Tottenham made their offer, I was sceptical at first.
“But after [manager Juande] Ramos called me personally and told me that they were selling Robbie Keane and that he wanted me in his side, the situation changed.
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“When a coach shows an interest in you, especially such a renowned and strong coach, then that is already half of the success of any move. I also like the way Tottenham play so I agreed in principle to join.”
He once again stated he was more than happy to join Arsenal’s fierce rivals in October 2009, as he stated: “I was not against a move to Tottenham.
“If it was down to just me to reach an agreement, the move could have taken place.”
Zenit ultimately refused to budge on their £20m valuation of the player, with Arshavin left reeling after being denied an exit.
As January rolled around, he continued to push for a move away, with Arsene Wenger desperate to secure his services following Alexander Hleb’s departure to Barca, who only went for the Belarusian after failing to nab Arshavin.
But as the end of the window approached, Zenit were still holding out for £20m, with the Russians dismissing a £12m bid from Arsenal.
Still, Arsenal – and Arshavin – were determined for the deal to take place, but there was another problem.
A heavy snowstorm was forecast, with Arshavin, who was in Paris at the time, taking the last Air France flight out of the French capital to Heathrow airport before the weather took a turn for the worse.
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He was tucked away at Village Hotel in Elstree near the club’s London Colney training ground, just as a blizzard grounded London to a standstill.
It led the Premier League to grant top-flight clubs a conditional extension to the transfer window deadline.
News then leaked of Arshavin being in England, with Arsenal fearing a PR disaster if they saw a deal fall through.
After tense talks, Arsenal and Zenit eventually thrashed out a £15m agreement for Arshavin, who would have been a free agent at the end of the 2008/09 season.
And Arsenal even agreed to Zenit’s demands of being paid back a £2m signing-on-fee from the last time Arshavin signed a contract.
But Arsenal were then met by admin issues stemming from the snowstorm – resulting in the club failing to announce his arrival before the deadline.
It eventually came almost 24 hours after it had ended, with the Premier League showing mercy on Wenger’s side.
Then came the iconic words from Arshavin, as he declared ‘now I am [a] Gooner’ outside his hotel, as fans swarmed around him.
All in all, Arshavin spent four-and-a-half-years in north London before being released in 2013, where he would eventually return to Zenit.
In total, he chipped in with 31 goals in 144 games for the Gunners in all competitions, with four of those strikes coming in the famous 4-4 draw away at Liverpool in April 2009.
But perhaps his most iconic moment at Arsenal came in February 2011, where he scored a late winner in a dramatic 2-1 victory over boyhood club Barcelona.
Arshavin put his jersey over his head to reveal a T-shirt with him doing his trademark lips-to-mouth celebration – silencing those who doubted the Gunners could beat Barca.
However, his strike proved to be in vain, as the Blaugrana would win 3-1 in the return leg at the Nou Camp to advance into the Champions League quarter-finals.
By the 2011/12 campaign, Arshavin had fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates, with the player sealing a loan move back to Zenit.
He mustered just seven Premier League appearances the following term prior to his release, with Arshavin ending his stay without any silverware.
Arsenal have had a habit of club-record transfers failing to hit the heights expected of them – most recently the £72million signing of Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
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Meanwhile, former record signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil both had their contracts ripped up after falling out with Mikel Arteta.
And Arsenal fans will be hoping Britian’s most expensive player in Declan Rice will prove to be £105m well spent.
