Strippers, cars and Instagram boasts: Meet Aleksandr Kokorin, Arsenal's new target

We asked experts in our Russian office to profile Kokorin, the man who appears to be Arsenal’s Plan B after failing to convince Karim Benzema of a move to Emirates Stadium.

Journalist Igor Zelenitsyn filled us in on Kokorin’s playing ability and potential, as well as his lifestyle off the pitch to build up a complete picture of the reported Arsenal target.

Kokorin doesn’t have a lot in common with Floyd Mayweather, but both sportsmen share a love for showing off on Instagram, whether it’s posting from a private jet (after a defeat for Russia’s national team)…

Showing off a very expensive car…

Showing off other very expensive cars…

Or hanging out with rappers – in this case Ja Rule.

Okay, actually he does have a few things in common with Floyd Mayweather. Kokorin has also been caught on camera with strippers, despite having a girlfriend at the time.

Kokorin scandalised conservative Russia society two years ago when posting pictures of his holiday in Miami with Pavel Mamaev, his colleague in the Russian national team. The images of the two men hugging were not welcomed by some in his home country and Korokin suffered abuse on social media as a result.

Rumours about Arsenal being interested in Kokorin appeared on Monday but, honestly, it was hard to believe them. There was a lot of talk last week linking Kokorin to Manchester United, and it looks like another week means another club being linked. Anyway, it was Mathieu Valbuena's agent Christophe Hutteau who took responsibility for holding negotiations, and Kokorin's domestic agent has insisted that these rumours are fake. 

It’s hard to say. It depends on a few factors and the most important one is his salary. Marco Trabucchi, an Italian agent working in the Russian market, said last year that AS Roma wanted to buy Kokorin but dropped the idea after they discovered his price and his salary. The price shouldn't be a problem anymore: Kokorin's contract will expire next summer, and Dynamo are in need of money. But under the terms of his current contract he receives €5m per season, so the questions are can Arsenal pay him that much and would Kokorin agree to a wage cut if they can’t? Kokorin himself has said that he's ready to give it a try in Europe if he has a good offer.

He is more like a withdrawn striker. He doesn't play as a target man; it was Kevin Kuranyi who played that role with him at Dynamo. They played the typical duo of a small forward who runs and passes and a big forward who stays in the box and score headers. Kokorin was the small one so if Arsenal need someone to get their head on crosses, they need to think twice. But if they need one more sharp forward, Kokorin might be an option. 

He always has been a wonderkid of Russian football and a player to watch but when the time came to turn potential into achievement with the Russian national team and become a leader, Kokorin stayed still, just remaining a nice guy who smiles attractively and scores sometimes. Moreover, after World Cup 2010, where everybody expected him to announce himself, he suffered maybe his worst season in professional football, scoring only eight goals. But on the other hand, he has played better this season and he is 24 still so I do hope he will be our leader soon. He is very talented guy and he deserves it.