Russians would know that Zakharyan has been lighting up the Russian Premier League since his rise to Dynamo Moscow’s first team. The young gun nearly transferred to Chelsea, but who is Arsen and why do they want him? And, more importantly, what is his true rookie?
Arsen made his debut for Dynamo aged 17, November 2020.1 He became Dynamo’s third youngest scorer and went on to be the fans player of the season!2 During the 2020/21 season he picked up player of the month awards on Febuary, March and May.3 Additionally, the Russian Football Union named him the under-21 player of the season.4 The following season he repeated these feats, getting voted the Russian league’s best under-21 player of 2021 and the Dynamo’s fans player of the season. 5
At the start of the 2022/23 season Chelsea tried to sign Arsen. The deal fell through because of the sanctions and restrictions on the bank Dynamo wanted the transaction to go through.6 It seems inevitable that he will sign for a big team soon, but will it be Chelsea? Zakharyan has represented Russia at the highest level but, interestingly, wants to switch to Armenian citizenship.7 I’m not going to pretend to know how this is possible, but this will mean he will easily get European work permits, as opposed to his current Russian passport.
Arsen Zakharyan is an attacking midfielder who can run with the ball, score and assist. He is incredibly composed on the ball and, often, makes the right decision in advanced positions. To be able to dominate the Russian Premier League at a young age is impressive. For those who might be sceptical, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came from the same league!
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. I will keep monitoring Arsen and will be the first to let you guys know if he’s on the move! Will he get his move to Chelsea, or will someone else come knocking?
His Cards and Stickers
As of now, Arsen Zakharyan only has one sticker which is listed as the feature imagine in this article. It is his only product for his rookie season and for that reason, I think it has serious investment potential, assuming he has a successful career. He has non-official cards that are made in Russia, but the only official product is the Panini sticker. I would advise staying away from the unofficial cards; it is too unpredictable to be a safe investment. Another note to add, because of sanctions, this way be the last Panini set in Russia for the foreseeable future; will this affect the value of these stickers?
The rookie is from the Panini Russian Premier League 2021/22 – #172.8
Let me know your thoughts below 🙂
References
- https://eng.premierliga.ru/match/match_13736.html
- https://twitter.com/fcdynamo/status/1366291708057649154
- https://en.fcdm.ru/players/arsen-zakharyan?roistat_visit=2232248&_gl=110bg5il_gaODM0MTc1MjgyLjE2NjU1NzEyNTg._ga_ZV80MRZPY4*MTY2NTU3MTI1OS4xLjAuMTY2NTU3MTI1OS42MC4wLjA
- https://rfs.ru/news/213999
- https://fcdm.ru/news/arsen-zaxarian-vtb-igrok-sezona
- https://www.si.com/soccer/chelsea/transfer-news/report-chelsea-remains-interested-in-arsen-zakharyan#:~:text=Chelsea%20looked%20to%20bring%20in,Britain%20has%20placed%20on%20Russia.
- https://www.sportbible.com/absolute-chelsea/arsen-zakharyan-russian-armenian-chelsea-transfer-20220924
- https://www.laststicker.ru/cards/panini_rpl_2021-2022/172
