Reading fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have been left crestfallen after Brian McDermott downplayed speculation linking the Royals with a move for Arsenal outcast Andrey Arshavin.The 31-year-old is clearly surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium after falling down the pecking order in Arsene Wenger’s side. He spent time on loan at former club Zenit St Petersburg last season and looks set to leave North London in the near future.
However McDermott has today told Sky Sports that he does not expect a deal to happen during the January transfer window.
“It’s one that I’ve heard many times,” McDermott told Sky Sports. “He’s an Arsenal player. I don’t think he will be a Reading player.”
Despite this, the Royals boss did not deny that the club was planning to spend big if the right player was available.
“We haven’t broken the bank, I certainly haven’t in the last three years and we probably haven’t in the last 12 years as a club,” he said.
“That’s not to say that if a player came in that we felt was right for us, at the right cost, then the owner would have to make a decision to back that deal. Then we will wait and see. It’s not a case of we wouldn’t if it was right.”
Reading currently possess one Russian international forward in their ranks already -Pavel Pogrebnyak who joined in the summer from Fulham, and the club’s owner Anton Zingarevich too derives from the country, perhaps shedding some light on the linkages of Arshavin to the Madejski Stadium.
Will Arshavin join his Russian compatriot Pogrebnyak at Reading? Rate this rumour below.
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We don’t want him anyway.
His future looked so bright after his 4 goals against Liverpool. He seems to not care. If he had the fire of Wilshere he would have been a regular starter with his pace and left foot