Former Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is backing Spartak Moscow ace Alexander Sobolev to follow in his footsteps in the Premier League but believes he can aim higher than Southampton, speaking to Sport By Day.
Now, in Arshavin’s defence, the Zenit St Petersburg legend made those comments before the Saints dragged Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City into their own personal hell at a raucous St Mary’s; stunning strikes from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo headlining a performance which lit a fire under the Nathan Jones era.
One week on from that 1-0 home defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest – a booming chorus of boos greeting Jones at full-time – Southampton are now basking in the satisfaction of successive wins, preceding that Man City masterclass with a comeback triumph over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
With fellow strugglers Everton to come on Saturday, three wins in a row for the first time in 2022/23 could lift Southampton off the bottom of the Premier League table. Pick up where they left off against City and relegation will be far from a formality.
Would Spartak Moscow’s Russian striker Aleksander Sobolev fit in at Southampton?
Nonetheless, Arshavin believes the 6ft 5ins Sobolev should still be aiming for clubs closer to the relative comfort of mid-table should English football come calling this month.
“Of the Russian players, I don’t even know who could successfully try themselves in Europe. For Sobolev, it depends on where he’d play,” says Arshavin, once a club-record signing for Arsenal.
“Where do we have Southampton (in the table)? Last in the Premier League. Sobolev, I think, is suitable for the team in the middle of the standings.”
Like 12th-place Crystal Palace, perhaps? Sobolev admitted last year that Palace had approached him regarding a potential switch to Selhurst Park in a previous window.
Interest from a major European league is likely to re-appear sooner rather than later too; Sobolev currently on a run of nine goals and seven assists in 22 games.
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