Published: 23 August, 2012
by RICHARD OSLEY

ANDRIE Arshavin's Arsenal future remains unclear with growing talk that he will be returning to Zenit St Petersburg before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

The Russian, who despite scoring four times at Anfield in one match and hitting a winning goal against Barcelona on a famous European night at the Emirates, has failed to string together a run of top performances which Gunners fans had hoped he would provide when he arrived in 2009.

With a £15 million price-tag, he was at the time the second most expensive player in Arsenal's history.

Arsene Wenger defended his decision to replace livewire Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with Arshavin, 31, during last season's fiery clash with Manchester United, reminding everybody in a press conference that he was the 'Russian captain'.

But he then allowed Arshavin to join Zenit on loan for the end of the season, where he was playing in a title winning team.

Zenit have played a cagey game over whether they want him back on a permanent move, but the rumour mill refuses to die down and a £10 million deal could be in the offing.

He appeared as a sub against Sunderland on Saturday during Arsenal's opening Premier League match but was then seen in St Petersburg this week. A statement on his website said he was in Russia on a "business trip".