Russia Capture Wenger's Imagination

Although the Gunners boss just recently expressed his fear of being priced out of moves due to a combination of Arsenal's strict spending limits and Euro 2008 stars having their value spike dramatically, his latest words did suggest that the Russian footballing influence may no longer be limited to West London.

"The eye is always looking at who can strengthen Arsenal," Wenger said to Daily Express.

"You always think, 'could this player play for your team?' or perhaps there is a good player you didn't know.

"Mainly I would say that you discovered only Russian players at this tournament because you see them playing less. All the others you know."

Zenit St Petersburg shooting star Andrei Arshavin would probably be the Russian player that most Arsenal fans would want in their ranks, but his mesmeric performances in his first two games since returning from suspension mean that he is a top target for plenty of teams with considerably bigger chequebooks.