I didn't realise that players could still move to Russia, but because their transfer window only closed last night, they could. Chris Samba moved yesterday to Anzhi Makhachkala on a permanent(a big loss for Blackburn). Andrey Arshavin rejoined Zenit St Petersburg on loan(not much of a loss for Arsenal). Dele Adebola moved to CSKA Moscow on a permanent(a big blow for us). I may have made the last one up....
I didn't realise either, and I was halfway through googling Dele Adebola before I cottoned on that you'd said CSKA Moscow
What happened to Arshavin. He looked brilliant in his first 6 months. I remember when he scored 4 goals against Liverpool he looked unstoppable. I don't see how he can turn so bad, he's been awful this season and not even looked like half the player he was.
That Anzhi club is an interesting one, they're based in deepest darkest Russia, the owner lets players live in places like St Petersburg and flies them in for training and match days, as well as paying ludicrous wages. Still, I wouldn't like to work or live in Russia, I went to St Petersburg last year and it's a pretty bloody strange place. You do feel like you're being watched, they deposit large hardcore Army vehicles and troops around the city to intimidate the locals/tourists. Mass poverty on the outskirts of city in high rise complexes like I've never seen before, massive complexes which must literally house the equivalent of a small UK city. Corruption is rife everyone's on a back hander, whether it was the hotel manager for allowing hookers to work the hotel bar, the police for offering a joint police come taxi service, or the locals for having a different tariff for tourists! The car, surprisingly I saw most of was a Range Rover, apparently a 'Status Symbol' for new money in Russia - mostly through Illegal enterprise. I wouldn't rush back, that's for sure!
