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Andrei Arshavin’s is gorwing increasingly frustrated as his proposed move to Tottenham continues to be delayed.
Zenit St Petersburg have turned formal bids from Barcelona and Tottenham for Arshavin, and with a reported price tag of €27million, the 27-year-old fears he has been priced out of the market.
“This price tag has frightened everybody off,” Arshavin told Sport Express.
“Only Tottenham have dared continue negotiations. But as it stands nothing has developed.
“My desire to leave is still as strong, but there is nothing more to do now other than hope for a miracle.
“I understand perfectly well that if I don’t move on now, I probably never will.
“I’m just hoping that one fine morning the bosses at Gazprom will wake up in a good mood and say: ‘We’ve had enough of Arshavin’s whining – let’s let him go’.”
With the prospect of his dream move to Barcelona dashed, Arshavin has reiterated his desire to work with Spurs coach Juande Ramos.
“When Tottenham made their offer I was sceptical at first,” Arshavin continued.
“But after Ramos called me personally and told me that that they were selling Robbie Keane and that he wanted me in his side, the situation changed.
“When a coach shows an interest in you, especially such a renowned and strong coach, then that is already half of the success of any move.
“I also like the way Tottenham play, so I agreed in principle to join.
“A short while later a representative from Spurs arrived to discuss my personal terms and contract.
“The discussion didn’t take long and we agreed on everything quickly. Only then did my asking price go up.
“Tottenham have a decent squad with (Luka) Modric, (Dimitar) Berbatov and other players, and the club is fully capable of fighting for a place in the Champions League.
“The main thing is to try my strengths in a league like the Premier League and play against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal on a regular basis rather than once every five years.”
Meanwhile, Zenit coach Dick Advocaat believes a deal with Tottenham could still be resurrected.
The Dutchman told Rossiskaya Gazeta: “I am sure Tottenham will be back to make another, more suitable offer for Arshavin’s transfer.
“There is no set time period or deadline for this. Zenit are doing everything in the correct way.
“If Tottenham can sell Robbie Keane to Liverpool for €25million then in my opinion they should pay good money for Arshavin.”
