Ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb, Arsene Wenger has opened up about how he first spotted Eduardo da Silva in a game against the current Croatian champions.
Back in August 2006, despite making it to the Champions League final in the previous season, Arsenal found themselves competing in the Champions League qualifiers after a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
Arsenal had managed to take a three-goal lead in the qualifiers against Dinamo Zagreb after a 3-0 win in the away match, but things were different in the next leg. After just over 10 minutes into the fixture at the Emirates stadium, Eduardo slotted the ball past Almunia to take the aggregate scoreline to 3-1. Arsenal however, managed to come back with late goals from Freddie Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini to win the match and make it 5-1 on aggregate.
Arsene Wenger then signed the Croatian striker the very next summer, despite having issues with his work permit, and the boss explains why to Arsenal Player.
I saw him [at Emirates Stadium] and that’s where I saw that he had something special.
With his history as well, he was a young Brazilian boy who adapted in a completely different country.
I thought the adaptation would be easy for him to come to London. I was pleased to take him at the time. I think he was about £9 million or £10 million, which today doesn’t look a lot for a good striker of his quality.
Zagreb had two players in their squad at that time – one was called Modric and the other Eduardo. The two have had great careers.
The regret we had for Eduardo is of course the bad injury he got, but he was a great player. We have fond memories of him and he is still loves our club. Many times when I’ve seen him, he’s always spoken highly of our club.
Arsene Wenger is referring to the injury Eduardo sustained after a nasty tackle from Martin Taylor, keeping him out for nearly a year. After returning from the injury, Eduardo managed to score a brace in his first start for the north London club in an FA Cup replay against Cardiff City.
Unfortunately, his time at Arsenal did not last much longer, despite signing a long contract the same year, as he moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in the following summer. Supporters will have some fond memories of the great goals he scored, including a brilliant outside-of-the-boot volley against Burnley in March 2009.
Arsene Wenger also praised Dinamo Zagreb, who qualified for the group stages after a 4-4 round victory on away goals in the Champions League qualifiers.
I think Zagreb at the time were a very strong team and they are back now to the level where they were at the time.
