Another Wenger Coup?

by user Tyduffy

Arsene Wenger has vexed rumor mill writers once again, as an unsuspected striker will be making his way to the Emirates to fill Thierry Henry's boots. Arsenal had been rumored to be in the mix for Obafemi Martins and Nicolas Anelka, as well as super signings like Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o. However, the club unexpectedly announced today that they have signed Brazilian born, Croatian international, Eduardo Da Silva (Dudu) for an undisclosed fee (It was initially reported as 16.25 m GBP, but the BBC estimates it closer to 7.5m GBP.

Da Silva plied his trade for Dinamo Zagreb of the Croatian League, where he scored a record 34 goals in a mere 32 league appearances this season. He coincidentally scored the first competitive goal at the Emirates stadium, wearing an away shirt during Champions' League qualifying. He also has scored seven goals in twelve senior international caps for Croatia, including one in their 2-0 defeat of England in Euro 2008 qualifying.

There are obvious questions surrounding his transfer, particularly since, outside of Football Manager freaks, he is an unknown commodity. How will his form in an inferior Croatian league translate to the Premier League? How will he be able to handle the pressure of being Henry's replacement? At the grizzled age of 24, how much does he have left in the tank?

All of these concerns are valid, and the only way that they will be answered is on the pitch. From what he has shown in glimpses on the big stage, he has the potential to be the proverbial "fox in the box" and quite good with his head (a rarity for Arsenal forwards). There are few if any better judges of raw talent than Wenger, and Gunners' fans will have to hope that this is another brilliant signing in the vein of Vieira or Henry, rather than a catastrophic brainfart like Alexander Hleb or Franny Jeffers. At less than half the cost of Darren Bent, he is probably worth the risk.

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