Arsenal chief Gazidis: I was always in control of Arshavin deal

New Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insists their drawn-out pursuit of former Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Andrei Arshavin wasn't frustrating.

He told the New York Times: "I don’t feel it was. I probably have had more experience negotiating international transfers probably than anybody in the world, quite candidly. There’s not a lot I haven’t seen along the way.

"This transfer, while the numbers were big even for a club like Arsenal, fundamentally had the same issues and dynamics as any number of transfers I’ve been involved with over the years. What was different was the amount of media attention paid to it. All along we tried to keep our focus on the prize.