Former sports director of Spartak Moscow Alexander Shikunov told the source that Andrey Arshavin And Vladimir Bystrov could become team players before the 2002 World Cup.
Arshavin made his debut for Zenit in 2000, Bystrov in 2002. Bystrov then played for the “red and white” in 2005-2009.
They were just starting to play for Zenit; there was definitely an opportunity to sign them before the 2002 World Cup. But we didn’t agree on something during the negotiations.
Do I regret not being able to sign them? Certainly. These are top players who would definitely help Spartak win trophies.
Currently, Arshavin is deputy chairman of the board of directors for sports development of Zenit.
