Arsenal shrug off row over Arshavin transfer

Aston Villa have confirmed that they will be watching closely to see what the Premier League and Football Association have to say on the affair. They are fighting the Gunners for fourth place and Champions League qualification and boss Martin O'Neill is expected to make his feelings known on the Russian's arrival after tonight's FA Cup replay with Doncaster.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said that "everything was done before the deadline" and added: "This is the nature of deadlines in general, that people will wait until the last minute before they are prepared to make concessions [on the deal]. Sometimes you just have to let the clock run down."

As Standard Sport revealed yesterday, certain documents from Arshavin's club Zenit St Petersburg reached the football authorities via Arsenal after the 5pm deadline.

It is thought the Premier League agreed to give the deal the go-ahead "as long as the FA were happy" after lawyers were consulted over the legality of approving the deal.

The Premier League confirmed in a statement the signing of Arshavin had been "substantively completed prior to the close of the January transfer window".

But that is unlikely to satisfy Arsenal's rivals, who will want to know why it took so long to complete the deal and view its late completion with some suspicion. There have been other similar cases when the boundaries have been pushed back, the 2006 deal that saw Chelsea's Ashely Cole and Arsenal's William Gallas swap clubs for example, but never as far as this transfer.

Arshavin, who will cost an initial £12million with £3m in add ons and has signed a four-and-a-half year contract, was flying home today to secure his work permit.

The 27-year-old is desperate to play in Sunday's north London derby with Spurs but accepts that he isn't match-fit, having not played a competitive match since the end of the Russian domestic season last November.

"I might need just one week but I will try to play as soon as possible," said Arsenal's new No23. "I must be ready by Friday or Saturday, but I am not fit now. It will be decided by Arsene if I can play or not."

Arsene Wenger hopes Arshavin can prove to be the "influential force" which kick-starts Arsenal's season after breaking the Gunners transfer record to get his man.

"Andrei Arshavin is a player I have admired for a long time," said the Arsenal manager.

"He is a versatile player with great experience, who will add real quality to our squad."