St Andrie takes over premier

The English Premiership will always have an outstanding world class player at the helm at a time. Let’s not stretch ourselves many years back, and save our good mind from a stress factor. Just a few seasons ago Thierry Henry was a leading light in the English premiership before leaving for Spain. Following his departure, Christiano Ronaldo brilliantly showed up. When he, like Henry, left for Spain a new kid arrived on the block. Who? Meet Andrie Arshavin, the darling of Arsenal, the premier league’s latest global icon and five-star character. Before the small Russian with the big talent settled down to talk at London Colney on Friday, there was a short eulogy to deliver. Ardent soccer followers nodded it into sheer agreement that the premier league needed a star like Arshavin after Christiano Ronaldo made a move to Spain. Four to five years ago, the likes of Kaka or Messi would have come to England (rather than Spain) so it is important to have great players like Arshavin. Although he hates the high taxes in England, he does not stop him from smiling all through an indication that he enjoys playing stellar style of soccer. If the Emirates floodlights ever went out, Arshavin’s megawatt smile would illuminate the place. That aside, his skills sparkle more than his smile. Arshavin’s s vision, technical ability and eye for goal gave Arsenal an extra dimension and one stat summed up his impact perfectly. When the Russian was in the side last season, Arsenal averaged 2.42 goals per game. When he was sidelined, that dropped to 0.5. He arrived at Emirates Stadium in one of last season’s most protracted transfer sagas. He was definitely worth the wait. The Russian playmaker proved almost instantly that he is a world-class talent who can make a big difference to this Arsenal side. He scored an outstanding goal against Blackburn to open his account – finding the top corner from an improbable angle – and hit all four in arguably the match of the season as Arsenal and Liverpool shared eight goals at Anfield. Andrey moved to Arsenal from his home-town club, Zenit St. Petersburg after helping them lift the Uefa Cup in 2007. He captains the Russian national side and stood out with his exceptional displays at Euro 2008, scoring twice and earning a place in the Team of the Tournament. Arshavin’s versatility is another big plus for Arsenal. He started his Gunners career on the flank but can also play through the centre, as he does for his country. At 28 the diminutive forward is at his peak. That is a mouth-watering prospect for anyone who follows Arsenal. ensekanabo@gmail.com