Arshavin completes Arsenal switch

By Sonia Oxley

LONDON (Reuters) - Russia forward Andrei Arshavin completed his transfer to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg on Tuesday, the English Premier League club said.

The move had been awaiting confirmation from the Premier League after the clubs failed to announce an agreement before Monday's 5 p.m. transfer window deadline.

"We are delighted to have signed Andrei Arshavin, he is a player I have admired for a long time," manager Arsene Wenger told the club's website (www.arsenal.com).

"He is a versatile player with great experience, who will add real quality to our squad. Andrei is an exciting impact player with a huge amount of ability and has been an influential force with both Zenit St Petersburg and the Russian national team in recent seasons."

The club said Arshavin, who won the UEFA Cup with Zenit last season and shone in Russia's run to the Euro 2008 semi-finals, had joined on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.

British media reported he had agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract and had cost Arsenal around 15 million pounds.

NIFTY FOOTWORK

Television pictures showed a smiling Arshavin appearing in front of fans at the Emirates stadium holding a shirt with the number 23 and signing autographs.