"We were better..." - Striker explains why he rejected Arsenal move

Former Russia international striker Aleksandr Kokorin has revealed why he turned down the opportunity to join Arsenal in 2015.

Kokorin established himself as one of the top strikers in Russia between 2012 and 2015, reaching the 10-goal barrier in three consecutive seasons for Dynamo Moscow.

He was a regular in the side that reached the round of 16 in the 2014/15 Europa League, where the Russian side lost to Napoli.

Kokorin played alongside the likes of Christopher Samba, Mathieu Valbuena and former Chelsea midfielder Yuri Zhirkov.

In the summer of 2015, The Telegraph reported that Arsenal were keen on securing the 24-year-old's signature, having failed in an attempt to sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.

But that move fell through, and Arsene Wenger's side failed to bring in a striker that summer.

Kokorin, who currently plays his football for Cypriot side Aris Limassol, on loan from Fiorentina, has now opened up on why he rejected a move to Arsenal.

Kokorin on failed Arsenal transfer

Speaking to Nobel (quotes via HITC), Kokorin explained that he believed the Dynamo Moscow side of 2015 was stronger than that of Arsenal.

The Gunners did go on to finish second in the Premier League in that campaign, but struggled in the following season before Wenger's departure.

He said: "Listen, at the time, I chose Russia. I thought we were better [than Arsenal].

"I thought, 'We are in European competition now. We can compete in terms of our squad'.

"Have you seen the Dynamo training ground? The stadium? [The training ground is] the best in the world!"

After turning down a move to Arsenal, Kokorin joined fellow Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg in the summer of 2016.

He played for his country at Euro 2016, and was due to represent them at their home World Cup in 2018, but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in March which ruled him out of the tournament.

The striker was then sentenced to 18 months in prison for assault in 2019, although received parole after four months when pre-detention time was taken into account.

He resumed his career with Zenit before spells at Spartak Moscow and current club Fiorentina. He has so far failed to score in 10 appearances for the Italian giants, and has spent this season playing in Cyprus.

Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, Transfers

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.