Arsenal reportedly paid double the price for Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin when they bought him from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2009.
According to The Independent, a new book by football agent John Smith claims the 2009 January transfer window signing might not have moved as Russian president Vladimir Putin held a lot of influence in the matter.
Zenit happens to be Putin’s boyhood club, and is run by state-owned energy company Gazprom, with the president not wanting a deal to be struck bit the Gunners made a break through when Uzbekistan billionaire and 30 per cent Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov was asked to use his Russian connections to secure the transfer.
“Arsene was involved in every step,” Smith claims in the book named ‘The Deal’. “Every conversation with Arsenal was based around how Arsene was feeling and things he thought they could do to bridge the gap.
“Arsene was totally in control on that environment.”
The agent claims Usmanov had to operate behind the scene and figures in Arsenal’s hierarchy were unaware of his dealings with Ken Friar, who was managing director at Arsenal at the time opposed to any secret affair.
“Technically, we might not have been given permission [to speak to Arshavin],” Smith continued.
“But that’s my job for a club and player at any given time. I am the bridge that the club can’t cross. In most cases of employment exchanges in any walk of life, the potential employee and employer have had some sort of prior connection.
“There has to be a person ready to break the conventional ethical boundary of not pinching other people’s staff and actually make contact. So we do sometimes facilitate that in football.”
Arshavin drew Arsene Wenger’s attention with his Euro 2008 exploits, with the player being signed a whole 24 hours after the official January transfer deadline day.
Arshavin started for the club 97 times, scored 31 goals and within three years was back at Zenit, first on loan and them permanently.
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