大象传媒

London

Andrei Arshavin made a delayed entry into Euro 2008 - but Russia's little master delivered a performance that was well worth the wait.

Guus Hiddink's young side needed inspiration to get the victory over Sweden that would give them a quarter-final against Holland on Saturday and the return of Arshavin after suspension was perfectly timed.

The man who master-minded Zenit St Petersburg's Uefa Cup triumph delivered the sort of display that underscored why he is coveted by clubs in the Premier League.

Arshavin first came to my attention seriously on a freezing night at Goodison Park in December when beat Zenit in a Uefa Cup group game.

He may have been on the losing side, but there was no doubting his pedigree and it was no surprise he swiftly became a transfer target for David Moyes.

Arshavin was swift of thought and limb, and while his finishing was wayward he made light of his slight frame to illuminate the game.

Everton's interest, as so often, has been talked about without materialising into fact and after he destroyed Sweden I suspect he may have more illustrious clubs on his trail.

Sorry to sound cruel Everton fans, but I am afraid that falls into the harsh but fair category. I do not see why Arshavin would end up at Everton.

Newcastle United and Manchester City have also been linked, but gone are the days when the riches of the Premier League can prise away the pride of impoverished Russian clubs.

Zenit are cash rich and the word is that Arshavin is on 拢50,000-a-week - limiting the clubs who will move seriously for a player who has been catapulted to prominence in recent weeks.

Newcastle is hardly a mouth-watering prospect. Arshavin will not earn that much more money in the current round of belt-tightening at St James' Park and why should he entertain a club that cannot even offer him European football next season?

Nope. I would imagine he would be happy to give Everton and the Toon Army the swerve, even if they somehow conjured up enough cash to even be granted an audience with him.

Manchester City have shown an interest in Arshavin along with CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Jo, and he may be worth more of a gamble than splashing 拢200,000-a-week on the fading , who I believe is past his best and will not be motivated to re-ignite his career in the unlikely surroundings of Eastlands.

He may carry the element of a gamble - I well recall how Sergei Rebrov was a sure thing when Spurs paid 拢11m to sign him from Dynamo Kiev. He was a player who looked to have all the elements of a world star, but was awful at White Hart Lane.

But Arshavin looks made of sterner stuff, and when a man of Hiddink's pedigree claims he is the cleverest player he has ever managed, that's good enough for me.

There is always a danger in buying a player after a big tournament, but Arshavin looks the real deal.

A classic number 10 playing just off the front man and setting traps for the opposition all over the pitch, I would love to see Arshavin in the Premier League - and a few of his team-mates for that matter.

What about Aleksandr Anyukov? He is another Zenit star and a raiding defender who has looked outstanding.

And Yuri Zhirkov - the "Russian Ronaldinho". I could go on and probably would given half a chance.

Russia have been transformed from a side that struggled against Spain to looking a very dangerous and confident team - and I fancy them to give the Netherlands a real run for their money in Basel.

Hiddink's tactics will be fascinating. We have seen how the Dutch love to kill on the counter-attack and Russia showed the instincts to go forward with pace and in numbers to outclass .

Will Hiddink alter Russia's game plan against his native country or will he let Arshavin pull the strings?

I can't wait to see how it unfolds - but Russia's Euro 2008 campaign looked to be gathering ominous momentum against Sweden and the Netherlands will need to be on their guard.