ARSHAVIN HAD TO LEAVE

Former Arsenal midfielder Andrei Arshavin has said that he had to leave Arsenal after seeing manager Arsene Wenger lose his faith in the Russian midfielder.

Andrei Arshavin was one of the big signings Arsenal made in recent seasons after arriving at the Emirates stadium for a reported £ 15 million. Even though he was a major hit during the initial few months in London, Arshavin has disappointed over the last couple of seasons.

It was heavily rumoured that he would be sold in the summer in order to make way for the new signings. Suddenly, on the final day of the January transfer window, Arshavin went to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg on a loan deal till the end of the season.

Speaking ahead of the Euro 2012, the Russian midfielder has said that he is extremely afraid that he will not make it into the Euro 2012 squad for Russia. One of the main reasons for leaving Arsenal was the fact that manager Arsene Wenger had lost his faith in the player.

The arrival of Ivorian international Gervinho meant that chances were few and far between for Arshavin in the first half of the season. The Russian then decided to leave the club in order to have a fighting chance of making it into the Euro 2012 Russia squad.

“I left Arsenal in February to try and regain my level to play for Russia, and after the last few months with Zenit I believe it was a successful choice. The offer from Zenit was good in every sense. If I had stayed in London then I am convinced that my chance to make the final squad for Russia would have passed. I suffered different problems at Arsenal. I lost the confidence of the coach. I wasn’t sure why. But I wasn’t getting the chances to play. I’m now with Zenit – and again after the Euros,” Arshavin said.