 On 31 July 2008, he signed a four-year contract with Zenit Saint Petersburg.He took part in the team's victory in the 2008 UEFA Super Cup, but struggled to hold down a regular first-team berth.As Portuguese centre-halves Bruno Alves and Fernando Meira joined the club, it became increasingly evident that Puygrenier's future lay outside of Saint Petersburg, and a string of loan deals followed - firstly to Bolton Wanderers and then two spells at AS Monaco in Ligue 1.