The story of ex-Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva is a rather sad one. It’s the story of a man who scored 12 goals during his first season at the club and then spent the next couple of seasons struggling to make his mark. In the two years that followed, he scored found the back of the net nine times. As you’ll be aware, this was through no fault of his own.
He joined the Gunners from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2007, for a £7.5m fee. In an age where the media seems to foretell every transfer weeks before it happens, the arrival of Eduardo really did come out of nowhere. Luckily, he didn’t disappoint.
The Brazilian settled down very quickly at Arsenal and soon began to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. That was until the 23rd February 2008, when Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor dived into a tackle and broke Eduardo’s left fibula, dislocating his ankle. It was a horror challenge and one that has echoed throughout Eduardo’s career.
As it happens, it also had a major effect on Arsenal’s season, as the Gunners fell out of the Premier League title race. He didn’t play again until the 16th of February 2009, against Cardiff City (where he scored twice and picked up an injury). In truth, however, he was never quite the same. His football was never quite as effective and he was never again such a deadly force in front of goal. He had the confidence sapped out of him.
He moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in July 2010. He has scored 24 goals in 88 appearances, which is an… okay return. I’m sure he looks back on that February day in 2008 and views it as the moment a promising career was downgraded into passable one.
This brings us to the present day. Check out these quotes from Eduardo himself:
“Of course I’d like to go back to Arsenal. I don’t know anything about their interest, but everybody knows that when I left, everything was done in a friendly manner. I’m still friends with Arsene Wenger and have spoken to him several times. I still have many friends that live in London too. I want to play more ahead of the World Cup.”
With Arsenal needing a short term solution in the striking department, Eduardo could be a good option. Whilst the fans will likely be hoping for somebody with a bit more goal-scoring prowess, the good-feeling that this signing would generate could well be beneficial for Arsenal. Imagine the reception he’d get every time he stepped onto the Emirates’ turf.
This move would give Arsene Wenger the opportunity to sign a long-term option in the summer. In that sense, Eduardo would be a welcome addition to the squad.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal re-unite with this ex-striker?
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If we can get him at a reasonable price,why not,i still think he’s better than what we have
at this moment in time. “but I still think we need a sharp shooter up front”.
Eduardo is a good play compared to giroud so mr mini wenger go ahead bring the boy home, use the cash its not your money