Pro Eleven Headline News
Arshavin finally signs for Arsenal for club record fee
Arsenal have finally concluded the most tortuous transfer of the mid-winter window by announcing the signing of the Russia international Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg for a club record £15m almost 24 hours after the closure of the window, though it seems doubtful that the playmaker's first taste of Premier League football will come amid the explosive atmosphere of the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Emirates – he will wear the No23 shirt at the club – though confirmation that the deal had been ratified by the Premier League did not come until just before 5pm tonight. That will have prompted raised eyebrows among the other clubs competing at the top end of the table, not least because the transfer window had already been extended by two days to clear last weekend, with all parties pointing towards adverse weather conditions in London having prolonged completion.
The delay actually maintained the theme after protracted negotiations between the clubs that had dragged throughout January before one final flurry of hectic discussions and brinkmanship on the final day of the window. Indeed, there were real concerns that Arshavin could be denied a transfer from the club with whom he has been associated for 20 years even on Monday. Zenit had demanded Arshavin pay back a significant proportion of the "loyalty bonus" he was paid upon signing a four-year contract at the Russian club in 2006, a sum that had been awarded on the understanding that the player would complete his contract, with compromise eventually reached last night.
Zenit claimed that they would receive £15m from Arsenal, and around £1.5m from Arshavin as a part repayment of the bonus monies. A further payment of €500,000 that had been due to the player in bonuses will not be met, with the Russian club building that money into their valuation of the deal at £16.9m. Arsenal have not disclosed the fee paid, but it has undoubtedly eclipsed the previous record transfer, the £13m paid to Bordeaux for Sylvain Wiltord in August 2000.
The signing will come as a welcome boost for Arsenal's squad. Ars̬ne Wenger's side may be unbeaten in 10 league games but they trail fourth placed Aston Villa by five points and are 10 from Manchester United at the summit. The Frechman's decision to target Arshavin represents a break from his normal policy of buying promising younger players, as well as paying out a large sum in the mid-season window. But the reality of losing Tomas Rosicky to a hamstring tendon injury Рthe Czech has been absent for a year and has only just returned to very light training РCesc Fabregas to knee ligament damage and Theo Walcott to a dislocated shoulder has severely damaged Wenger's options.
The new arrival has been taking English lessons for two years, with the prospect of working with Wenger convincing him to force through a move to Arsenal. "I like Arsenal's style, I like Arsene Wenger as a coach, and I like some players in this team," Arshavin told Arsenal TV online.
Arshavin, who had travelled to London on Sunday evening in the hope that the deal would be completed, will now return to Russia to complete the formalities of applying for a work permit. While he is expected back in London later this week, it seems unlikely that he will be handed a debut at White Hart Lane on Sunday given that he has been in pre-season training with Zenit in Dubai ahead of the start of the new Russian domestic season, and has therefore not played any competitive football since November. Indeed, he did not feature in any of Zenit's three pre-season friendlies in the Gulf. Guardian
Juventus aim for Coppa joy against Napoli
Juventus will look to put their Serie A woes behind them when they host Napoli with a place in the Coppa Italia semi-finals up for grabs.
The Bianconeri go into their midweek encounter at Turin's Stadio Olimpico on the back of Sunday's 3-2 defeat against Cagliari.
The result, Juve's second consecutive slip following their 2-1 loss at Udinese, meant Claudio Ranieri's outfit dropped to third in the standings, seven points behind league leaders Inter Milan and one adrift of AC Milan.
''We have to put our ideas back in order,'' said Juve captain Alessandro Del Piero. ''Certain things haven't worked and we need to improve.
''We have the quality to do so and on Wednesday night, against Napoli, we will have a chance to redeem ourselves.
''Many top teams have struggled at the start of 2009 and right now it is our turn.
''But in the future we need to be the ones to take advantage of the slips of others.''
Juve have not won the Italian Cup since the 1994-95 campaign, but they will fancy their chances of going one step closer to their aim on Wednesday.
The Bianconeri have lost just twice this season in the domestic competition in Turin and face a team struggling to get results in 2009.
Eddy Reja's men have collected just one point in their last four league games and their poor run of late has left them eighth in the Serie A standings.
The game in Turin will have a particular significance for Napoli forward Marcelo Zalayeta, who played on and off for Juve for six years before joining the Partenopei.
''For me this will be a special game,'' said the Napoli foward. ''I played many years at Juve.
''But my primary aim now is to do well for Napoli and for our fans.
''I think we have a 50-50 chance of qualifying.''
Juve will be without injured duo Cristiano Zanetti and Giorgio Chiellini.
The winner of Wednesday's game will meet Lazio in the semi-final stages, while Inter, who knocked out title holders Roma, will take on Sampdoria in the last four next month. ESPN
