Arsenal: Andrey Arshavin to Sign with Zenit St. Petersburg?

Zenit St. Petersburg, the Russian Premier League club is preparing to sign Andrey Arshavin from Arsenal, according to reports. The proposal would be for Zenit to pay $21.5 million for the Arsenal FC attacker.

In an interview with Sovietsky Sport which was published in Sky Sports, Zenit director Igor Korneyev  said Zenit has always been interested in Arshavin. There were no comments in favor or against Arshavin by Zenit.

According to Sovietsky Sport, the decisions for the Zenit transfer windows are made by Gazprom, who are the sponsors. Alexei Miller, the Gazprom director, stated that the decision to sign Zenit depends on Arshavin.

Miller went on to say that it is inevitable that players return to their countries after a long time abroad. The idea of Arshavin signing for Zenit is a big possibility.

Arshavin might want to participate in the Russian squad for the Euro 2012 Qualifier. His record at Arsenal, characterized by fewer opportunities in the first team, does not help his chances of participation in Euro 2012.

Arshavin has started six matches for Arsenal in the 2011-12 Premier League season. He has only scored once within 13 Premier League matches.

The end result would be Arsene Wenger letting go of Arshavin in order to sign other players in January. Zenit St. Petersburg is in need of a striker with the caliber of Arshavin.

My personal prediction is that Arshavin will sign for Zenit, creating a win-win situation for the parties involved.