Zhirkov is what Arsenal should sign and not Arshavin

I have been watching the Euros with a lot of interest. And somehow have always preferred the not so obvious things, compared to the obvious ones. Say for example contrary to popular belief among Arsenal fans I believe David Silva is what Arsenal actually need and probably David Villa is something we can do without. Similarly, when I see the Dutch romping home to victory after victory, what I find interesting is not that they have scored some breathtaking goals on the counter attack, but that despite some seriously average defenders the Dutch team have conceded just once (to a delectable Theiry Henry goal) and in general shown a lot of discipline while defending. They have kept their shape at almost all times. This is despite the fact that Bouma (a left back) was playing at the center of the defense (something that cost the French a lot). Even otherwise, Van Bronckhorst usually plays as a defensive midfielder at his current club, and has almost never been known for his defensive capabilities. Khalid Boulharouz has been known for his mistimed ill-advised tackles and Oijer almost always shows his age and lack of pace. Organizing a defense at club level is much easier as you get to work with the team day in day out, but getting similar results at International level is simply amazing. I have to admit, this work of Van Basten is what makes me feel, he can be a great great coach, maybe not as great as he was a player.

As far as Arshavin is concerned, he is a great player, no doubt about that. But is he really needed at a club which has the fire power of Fabregas, Nasri (expected to sign sometime soon), Rosicky, Van Persie and Walcott. I am purposely not mentioning Hleb, as I feel he won’t be here at the start of the season. The above players play in the areas that Arshavin could play in, i.e. either the number 10 position behind the striker, or running the engine from the middle or playing the wing role at Arsenal (which is certainly different from other clubs). Even if Hleb leaves, I don’t see space for Arshavin, unless Wenger doesn’t have faith in Rosicky’s staying fit capabilities. For me, Rosicky—DMF—Fabregas—Nasri would be the first choice midfield with Walcott and Denilson as the primary backups. Another interesting point is that, we have been linked with Arshavin earlier too. If Wenger had to actually get him, he wouldn’t wait for the Euros to start, at least he would have tried to get things done before the start (like Nasri) especially when Arshavin’s club wants an early transfer, if he has to leave. He could and probably should have come in January, now it seems a bit late. Also Arshavin is already 27, a bit further ahead in terms of age, when we compare to the typical Wenger signings. Also, Zenit are supposed to be a fairly rich club. Hence, his salary would already be a decent amount, he has been to the UEFA cup final this season and his club has already qualified for the group stages of Champions League. All these things point out, that he doesn’t exactly need to move from his current club, unless he wants to test himself out in a better league per se.

On the other hand we have Yuri Zhirkov. This is a player who has really impressed me, not for his final touch or finishing, but for being in the heart of every attack that Russia created in almost all their matches. He is 24 (the perfect age to be bought by Wenger), is primarily a left winger who is adept at playing as left wing back. He is very good at using his trickery to get past players, has a fair amount of speed, and works real hard to track back and help the defense. In short, he has all the attributes and is at the right stage of his career to make a move to Arsenal. He could be the left footed winger that we have been missing since Reyes left, and hence provide something different to what the rest of our midfield provides. Also, due to his experience as a wing back he could be an experienced backup for Clichy. Hopefully he won’t be too expensive for us. Come on Wenger, if you are going to make one signing from these Euros this time, it has to be Yuri Zhirkov.