Mikel Arteta now seems to have found Andrey Arshavin 2.0 at Arsenal – Our View

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Arsenal fans adored Andrey Arshavin during his highly entertaining four years at the Emirates Stadium.

The Russian joined the Gunners in a club-record £15m deal from Zenit St Petersburg back in January 2009.

Arshavin became an immediate success in north London with six goals and eight assists in just 12 Premier League appearances following his winter move to Arsenal.

In total, the dynamic winger scored 31 goals and provided 46 assists in 144 appearances for the Gunners – now, Mikel Arteta seems to have found Arshavin 2.0 for Arsenal.

What’s the story?

Well, the signing of Leandro Trossard evokes many similarities to the deal for Arshavin.

Both joined Arsenal fairly late in their respective careers, with the Russian arriving at the age of 27, while the Belgian is 28 years of age.

Furthermore, Trossard possesses a rocket of a shot, nippy dribbling skills and an effective burst of pace, which Arsenal fans were treated to from Arshavin after his move from Zenit St Petersburg.

The similarities go on.

Arteta has recently used Trossard centrally ahead of Eddie Nketiah, with Gabriel Jesus still absent.

Arshavin also used to be deployed in the centre of the attack by Arsené Wenger – in total, he made nine Premier League appearances as a striker, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

Arsenal needed a new Arshavin

While many were understandably upset after missing out on Mykhaylo Mudryk to Chelsea, it may actually have been a blessing in disguise with Trossard arriving instead.

The Arsenal No.19 has slotted in seamlessly thanks to his versatility in attack and experience in English football, with his Arshavin-like traits already helping Arteta pick up valuable points in the Premier League title race.

Contrastingly, Mudryk is still yet to provide a goal involvement for Chelsea in six appearances since his £88.5m move from Shakhtar Donetsk, and the time he clearly requires to adjust to Premier League football may have cost Arsenal precious points had they won the race for his signature.