London  - Arsenal brought an end to the most protracted transfer of the January window when they confirmed the signing of Andrei Arshavin on Tuesday.

A deal was agreed between Arsenal and Zenit St Petersburg only minutes before Monday's 5pm deadline, and it was almost 24 hours before the transfer was officially ratified.

Following their usual practice, Arsenal refused to disclose the fee, but it is understood to be around 15 million pounds (21.6 million dollars).