Arsenal

Arsenal & Chelsea Battle It Out For Russian Midfielder

Arsenal are lining up Russian hero Alan Dzagoev as a replacement for international team-mate Andrey Arshavin but will face competition from London rivals Chelsea

by
Football Talk
June 11, 2012

The summer transfer window is open and Football Talk will bring you all the latest transfer news. Today, Arsenal and Chelsea are linked with a Russian midfielder.

Arsenal are lining up Alan Dzagoev as a replacement for international team-mate Andrey Arshavin but will face competition from Chelsea, according to the Metro.

Arshavin re-joined Zenit St Petersburg on loan in February after struggling to make an impact at Arsenal during the first half of last season. Boss Arsene Wenger is now prepared to sell the 31-year-old, with a permanent move back to Zenit on the cards.

The Metro claim that the French boss will look to replace Arshavin with CSKA Moscow attacker Alan Dzagoev, who became an instant hero in his homeland after scoring two goals in Russia’s 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in their Euro 2012 opener on Friday.

The 21-year-old has already played over 100 games for CSKA and has five goals to his name from eight international caps, and is highly-regarded back in Russia.

With only one year remaining on his current contract, Dzagoev could be available on the cheap this summer, but Arsenal may face stiff competition from London rivals Chelsea who are also thought to be keeping tabs on the player.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich will continue to reshape his squad this summer with creativity and youth thought to be high on his agenda, and Dzagoev could fit the bill perfectly.

FT Verdict

Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with Dzagoev in the past but no doubt his price will have doubled after his brace for Russia, despite the fact he only has one year remaining on his contract.

His talent isn’t in question and if he continues to impress at the Euro’s i can see more clubs joining the chase and Arsenal won’t get into a ‘bidding war’. A move to Chelsea may be more plausible, and Abramovich may be able to use his Russian connections to make the transfer happen.

Would you like to see Dzagoev at your club? Get involved in the comments section.