Andrey Arshavin wanted on loan

Zenit St Petersburg have confirmed that they have made contact with Arsenal over potentially taking Andrey Arshavin on loan for the rest of the season.

The Russia international has been out-of-form this term by his own admittance, and is keen to recapture better performances before representing his country at Euro 2012 in the summer.

The Russian Premier League side are eager to have the attacker back at his former club on a temporary basis, with The Gunners now having a decision to make.

“Arshavin would interest us in terms of having him on loan,” Zenit general director Maxim Mitrofanov told local media on Wednesday, translated into English by Sky Sports.

Besides helping Zenit Andrey would also be well prepared for the upcoming Euro 2012 finals. The question is what Arsenal really want, would they want a loan deal?

“We had initial talks with them. Let’s see how they respond now.

“The fact is Andrey still wants to play in England. But he really wants to do well at Euro. [Zenit] would be a good solution for him in this case,” the executive concluded.

Arshavin has become something of a scapegoat at the Emirates Stadium, with the fans and media vocal in their criticism of the eastern European’s recent performances.

By Gareth McKnight