Andrei Arshavin: Born Entertainer, On and Off the Pitch

February 3rd 2009 saw one of the most protracted transfers in recent history finally come to a conclusion.

After what seemed like an eternity, Russian captain Andrei Arshavin put pen to paper to conclude his move from UEFA Cup champions Zenit St. Petersburg to English giants Arsenal.

While the deal was classed as an "undisclosed fee", Arsenal's No. 23 is the club's record signing.

So what have Arsenal, the fans, club, and manager got for their buck?

At the time of the move, Zenit St. Peterburg manager Dick Advocaat said: "Arsenal don't realise just how good a player Andrei Arshavin is. He'll be a sensation in England. He's worth more than they have paid."

Some Arsenal fans seemed apprehensive about the move.

Was Arshavin really what the club needed at the time? Would he be able for the physicality of the Premiership? Is he just another mercenary footballer who would go to the highest bidder? After all he nearly signed for Tottenham and Barcelona at various stages.

Just over two months into his time at the Emirates and already the apprehension has disappeared with the little Russian becoming somewhat of a hero around North London.

Arshavin brought the cold weather with him from Russia on the day he signed and in the snow outside the Emirates Stadium he declared that "I am Gooner now" and quickly followed it up by saying that Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyunchenko was not a friend of his but merely someone who plays with him for the national side.

The Russian very quickly talked the talked and said what Arsenal fans wanted to hear.

Furthermore, Arshavin took a £20,000 a week pay-cut to sign for the Gunners with some suggesting he gave Zenit his signing on fee in order to push the move through.

As the Russian footballing calender is different to the one followed by most European teams because of the hard winter, Arshavin signed for Arsenal when the Gunners were midway through their season but he himself was going through preseason training with Zenit.

The Russian did not play any games for Zenit during the preseason as he had made it clear he wanted a move away from the club, only training with his colleagues to keep his fitness.

On signing for Arsenal it was clear he was short of match practice and fitness.

He sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes in the North London derby against Tottenham at White Hart Lane before making his debut on Feb. 21 against Sunderland at the Emirates. It was one of four 0-0 draws Arsenal had at the time.

However, throughout this period, Arsenal fans started to see glimpses of what Arshavin is capable of with moments of clinical passing and fantastic movement.

It didn't take Arshavin long to score his first goal in the red shirt, coming as it did against Blackburn on Mar. 15, a game the home side won 4-0.

Despite receiving stitches in his foot at half-time for a tackle that ripped his football boot apart, Arshavin showed no signs of any ill effects.

Collecting the ball on the left wing, Arshavin went straight for the Blackburn penalty area when he dummied with ease past defender Danny Simpson and from the most acute of angles he lifted the ball over goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Arshavin's second goal came just last weekend in the 4-1 away victory over Wigan. The No. 23 latched onto a stray pass by Jason Koumas and smashed the ball first time into the back of the net from just outside the penalty area.

It is clear to most already what Arshavin can bring and has brought to Arsenal.

He has an intelligent footballing brain, can pick a pass out of nowhere and unlike other players who do fancy tricks just for show, Arshavin more often than not has an end product.

To date, the Russian has made nine appearances for Arsenal scoring two goals. He has attempted 32 shots on goal with 14 hitting the target. Arshavin also has six assists to his name including one for Walcott at the weekend when he fought for the ball on the ground in a situation many more would have given up on.

It is obvious the guy is a football entertainer but he has also brought a light-hearted and somewhat comical spirit to the side.

Not one to shy away from any topic, Arshavin will say things straight and is not one to hide his feelings.

He is a qualified fashion designer and is also a published author with one book entitled "555 Questions and Answers on Women, Money, Politics and Football."

Moving from Russia to the English capital has been a culture shock for Arshavin and he doesn't fear any repercussions from airing his grievances.

"It is very difficult to me, everything is unusual," he said.

"Now I'm in a hotel. Next week I will move. I have to settle. Everything is difficult. For example, to get an agreement to rent a house. Everybody is speaking and telling me things but afterwards, when I see it on paper, it is not what I heard.

"I think the quality of life, especially for people with money, is better in Russia than here. Here there are lots of rules and laws. In Russia, if you have money, you can break the law."

The last line was somewhat tongue in cheek as he followed it with a torrent of laughter. However, Arshavin is not one to shy away from upsetting people, once claiming that if he had the power he would not let women drive as they are too dangerous.

It has only been two months since Andrei Arshavin became Arsenal's record signing and already he has made on huge impact on his manager, teammates and fans.

In what was threatening to be a miserable year for Arsenal it has to be more than mere coincidence that Arsenal have notched their passing game up a gear since the arrival of the Russian.

Arshavin claims that he and his teammates are yet to have reached the same level. The understanding has yet to be formed. If the Arshavin Arsenal fans have witnessed so far is only him warming up, then the Gunners are in for a real treat.