Wednesday Football

22 January 2009

by Jerrad Peters

 

Arshavin deal stalls again

 

Andrei Arshavin has joined his team on a pre-season tour of Dubai, despite threatening to go on strike in order to force a January move to Arsenal. Under FIFA regulations, the Zenit St. Petersburg forward could buy his way out of his current deal with the Russian Premier League side in November. However, since starring for Russia at the EURO 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland, he has made every attempt to orchestrate a move abroad.

Arsenal's interest in Arshavin has been apparent since the summer. In fact, the transaction would have been completed long ago if not for Zenit's valuation of the player. The Russian side is demanding 20 million pounds for the 27-year-old, more than double the Gunners original offer.

But with Cesc Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky out of the squad with long-term injuries, Arsenal's need of an elite playmaker has become glaringly apparent. They are thought to have made an increased offer of 12 million pounds last week, with incentive and bonuses that would have pushed the total fee to 16 million.

Arshavin's agent Dennis Lachter, however, has confirmed that all negotiations have been broken off. He added that Zenit are misrepresenting the situation by claiming that Arsenal's most recent offer was lower than it actually was. Nevertheless, the player has remained with his teammates in an effort to maintain his fitness in the event that a fee is finally agreed.

 

Chelsea & City discuss Drogba & Robinho

 

Both Chelsea and Manchester City possess unhappy, high-profile forwards who are thought to be considering transfer requests. Not coincidentally, the two Premier League sides are discussing the possibility of a swap, although the deal cannot be completed until the summertime.

Robinho, who joined City in August for 34 million pounds, bolted the club's training camp in Tenerife, this week, and flew to his native Brazil. It's speculated that he was devastated at the club's failure to land Kaka from AC Milan. He will return to Eastlands this weekend and faces show-down talks with manager Mark Hughes upon his arrival. Already eliminated from the FA Cup, City are not in action until next Wednesday's match against Newcastle.

Drogba, meanwhile, has been frozen out of the Chelsea squad by manager Luis Felipe Scolari. The 29-year-old did not feature in last week's matches against Southend and Stoke and has already expressed an interest in returning to Ligue 1 giants Olympique Marseille. City, however, are hoping to convince Drogba to remain in England and will make a substantial offer for his signature as early as the weekend.

Chelsea would make a similar move for Robinho. But given that FIFA prohibits a player from representing three clubs in a single season, the Blues will have to wait until June before contacting the 24-year-old. Robinho had pressed for a transfer to Stamford Bridge before being sold to Manchester City by Real Madrid.

 

Edmilson returns to Brazil

 

After eight successful seasons in Europe, Edmilson has returned to Brazil to finish his playing career. He completed the move on Wednesday, after just six months at Villarreal.

An integral part of four Ligue 1 titles with Lyon and two Primera championships and a Champions' League crown with Barcelona, the 32-year-old was released by the Catalan side last summer after a series of injuries. He was promptly signed to a two-year contract at Villarreal, although he failed to establish himself in manager Manuel Pelegrini's squad.

A World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, the defensive midfielder will join Palmeiras in time for the Paulista tournament and preliminary round of the Copa Libertadores.

 

*You can read Jerrad Peters' assessment of Manchester City's failed bid for Kaka at http://www.soccer365.com/features/story_21109224236.php