Pavel Pogrebnyak: Arsenal Target ‘Dreams’ of England & Working for Wenger
Arsenal target Pavel Pogrebnyak has declared his interest in working for Arsene Wenger with a move edging ever nearer. The 25-year-old currently plies his trade for Zenit St Petersburg in his homeland and is rated as one of his country’s top strikers. He rejected a move to Blackburn in January but with his contract set to expire in November he should be available in a cut price deal if the Gunners make their move.
Pogrebnyak recently said, “It is the first time I’ve heard about Arsenal’s interest, but, of course, I’m pleased that the club is interested in me.
“I think that for any player to get the opportunity to work with Arsene Wenger would be a big step forward.”
The player has shown he regards himself as good enough to play for one of the big English clubs when he told the Russian press, “I was puzzled when Zenit general director Maksim Mitrofanov said he was going to talk me into accepting Blackburn’s offer in the winter transfer window.
“I could only laugh at it. Yes, I dream of playing in England - but I’m not interested in Blackburn who are struggling against relegation.”
It’s of no surprise that Premier League clubs are interested in the Russian as he’s a big strong target man with a proven eye for goal, particularly from set-pieces. Pogrebnyak began his career at Spartak Moscow before moves to Himki, Shinnik and Tom Tomsk. It was at Tom Tomsk in 2006 where the striker excelled in his only season with 13 goals in 26 League appearances earning him a move to Zenit and a call-up to the national side.
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In the striker’s first season at Zenit he scored 11 goals in 24 League games (17 starts) as they won the Russian title. In the following season Pogrebnyak won the Russian Super Cup and enhanced his reputation in Europe following an incredible scoring run in Zenit’s march towards winning the Uefa Cup. The Russian hitman scored an incredible 10 goals in the main competition making him joint top scorer with Bayern’s Luca Toni.
In fact, he scored 11 goals but because one of his goals was in a qualifying match it was not counted as the competition proper. Unfortunately the striker was unable to play in Zenit’s final win over Rangers due to an accumulation of yellow cards in the earlier rounds.
This season the striker has scored 4 goals in 9 league games (7 starts) as Zenit sit 5th in the Russian league. In his last campaign he scored in the 2-1 Uefa Super Cup win over Manchester United in Monaco and was heavily linked to a number of European clubs throughout that summer. Pogrebnyak has scored a total of 21 goals in 52 League games for his club (38 starts) and is now a permanent member of the Russian national team. The 25-year-old has now scored 5 goals in 14 appearances for his country including a goal on his debut. Unfortunately the striker was unable to build his reputation in the Euro 2008 finals due to a knee injury which allowed Tottenham’s Roman Pavlyuchenko to demonstrate his ability and earn his big money Premier League move.
At 6 ft 2 the hitman is physically built for the Premier League and would be an excellent alternative to Emmanuel Adebayor if Arsene Wenger were to sell making the club a huge profit in the bargain. Reports suggest the hitman would cost around £5m but with Arsenal’s contacts at Zenit following the signing of Andrey Arshavin, they may even get the striker for less. The player’s contract is set to expire in November so he may prove the bargain of the summer if Wenger gets his man.
The player’s agent Oleg Artemov, had confirmed that Everton were also interested when he told the Daily Star, “I have been approached by Everton and several other English clubs.” However, there are a number of European clubs in the hunt including Bayern Munich, Marseille, Schalke 04, Hamburg, Villarreal and Sevilla. The traditional targetman is expected to be on the move and may link up with his old team-mate Arshavin at the Emirates this summer. Pogrebynak speaks fluent English, is two-footed and is renowned for his aerial ability and set-piece taking.
So would Arsenal fans be happy with the Russian hitman joining the club or is there another potential target you’d prefer? Do you think the Russian would suit your club? Would you prefer to keep Emmanuel Adebayor? Let’s hear your views.
Tags: Arsenal, Blackburn, Bolton, Everton, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Russia, Zenit
May 20th, 2009 at 10:08
the thing is he from russia he aint gna be cheap as asians negotiate alot
May 20th, 2009 at 11:43
I just Love this its a high time for Wneger to change his squad if he dreams of Silverware Next Season… Kenyan fan are tired waiting en so do alll fans around the wolrd! Go! Go! Arsenal We realy need this Dude ,I have watched him Play he is a guy of class.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:52
Absolutely. I’ve seen Progrebnyak play in person. He would really add to the Arsenal side, and I’d love to see him on the pitch with Shava every match. It’s a deal Arsenal should definitely push hard for.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:35
i prefer Pogrebnyak playing for arsenal rather than lazy adebayor. wenger should please and let him either milan or inter
May 21st, 2009 at 08:10
for that reasonable amount,i think wenger should seell adebayor and go for the guy.
May 21st, 2009 at 08:41
is the club planning to buy a second reliable post keeper to replace fabiaski and a defeder too to replace silvester.
if this club must sell to raise cash give priority to these two.
May 22nd, 2009 at 07:46
Prof. wenger plz go 4 dis guy he is gud enough 2 replace lazy adebayor is also 2 footed he can use left or right he can score plz we want 2 see him at arsenal with arshanvin upfront see adebayor and get dis guy cheap
May 22nd, 2009 at 23:38
plz wenger go for this guy he is more perfect 2 replace adebayor plz sell adebayor to collect Pavel Pogrebnyak: Arsenal Target ‘Dreams’and he is ready to Working for Wenger and his contract expire November so him worth 5 million europe if not less than go wenger
May 30th, 2009 at 16:32
As ive read through the comment you people made . Let me get this right , I totally agree with the people like Allen . First of all , I dont really know this guy , Pavel . But according to youtube , he s brilliant . I want him to replace Adebayor whose good for nothing . People might wonder if he’s not good but scored many goals . Why he scores so many goals ? was it his own ability ? God no . And how did he score ? Obviously , his teammates such as cesc , nasri assisted so nicely for him to score . If he cant score , it’ll be better for him to retire from football.You guys mentioned that he’s lazy . absolutely . Some arsenal true fans might notice it . have you notice when we are up by 2-0 or more . He’ll tend to slow down and take it easy ? What i dislike him the most is he’s a freaking frontman and his finishing is soooo damn predictable ! the real so called frontman is eduardo da silva . he is nicknamed as ‘ fox in the box ‘ . which means whenever he’s in the box and he gets the ball . he’s most likely to score against you . that is what frontman is really like . to score goals . not to let opponent to predicts . Lastly , he always said he deserved the credits like how THIERRY HENRY deserved . And he wants 120 k pound a week like henry did last time because he s as good as henry ? come on ade , your calibre not even near his . and ade , you have advantage regarding your height . and i rarely see you score with headings and i think TIM CAHILL FROM EVERTON AND MUCH SHORER THAN YOU . i think cahill scored more headers than adebayor too . guess what , your dribble aint tricky either .
it’l be good for ARSENAL FC to sell him as many big clubs are chasing and are willing to pay big as much as 30 mil pounds for him and we can get as cheap as 5 million euros for this Pavel guy .