Arshavin : Controversy or Messiah !

According to UK tabloid The Daily Mail, questions are being asked as to why Arsenal were allowed to complete the signing of Andrei Arshavin some 24 hours after the transfer deadline.

The London giants sealed the deal at 4:52pm local time on February 3, when all deals were supposed to be completed by 5:00pm the day before. (There was, however, a conditional extension granted due to bad whether).

It is understood that there were a few issues with paperwork that prevented the transfer from being processed on time, one of which was that Zenit St. Petersburg did not submit their forms quickly enough.

However, the FA (Football Association) and the Premier League discussed the matter yesterday and came to the conclusion that everything was satisfactory, meaning Arshavin is now officially an Arsenal player.

The Gunners' rival clubs are far from happy that the deal was allowed to go through so long after the close of the window, especially as negotiations had started several weeks prior.

The 27-year-old Russian international could make his Arsenal debut in this weekend's north London derby against relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham had been hopeful that a meeting between the Zenit president, Alexander Dyukov, and the player's representative Dennis Lachter this week might have forged a breakthrough in a stand-off over the Russian club's £27m demand for Arshavin. But Dyukov cancelled the meeting and, with the club unwilling to give any ground, the player has withdrawn his services.

Lachter predicted the same outcome might be in the offing for Arshavin, who Tottenham were hopeful of signing after a £15.6m bid for a striker whose desire to play in the Premier League has seen him reject bids from Italy and Spain. Spurs, who yesterday firmly rejected suggestions that they have approached West Ham with a £15m offer for Dean Ashton, had been hopeful that a £21m compromise deal for Arshavin may secure the player at a time when – with Robbie Keane gone and a new bid for Dimitar Berbatov by no means unlikely – they are actively looking for strikers.

Lachter still intends to speak to the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy when Levy returns from a trip to Florida, but his prognosis will come as a genuine blow to Spurs. Lachter, an Israeli-registered, Fifa-licensed agent, was seen as an important factor in cutting through the red tape which had hampered attempts to talk to the club.

We just cant wait for Arshavin's debut this week end. (ind, glc)