Eduardo da Silva quits Arsenal for Shakhtar Donetsk

Croatian striker Eduardo has joined Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on a four-year deal from Arsenal.

The fee for the 27-year-old Brazilian-born player is reportedly around £6m. Eduardo joined Arsenal from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2007 but struggled to regain his best form after a year out with a broken leg and dislocated ankle. Despite that he signed a new contract at the club in November, but Wenger has decided to cash in as he rebuilds his squad ahead of the new season.

"FC Shakhtar have signed Eduardo da Silva from Arsenal. All the details were agreed at Donbas Arena in Donetsk," read a statement on the official Shakhtar Donetsk website. Eduardo's horror injury was sustained in a challenge with Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in February 2008, but he marked his return almost exactly a year later with a brace in a 4-0 FA Cup win over Cardiff. He went on to play three more games that season, and 32 in 2009-10 as Arsenal finished third in the Premier League. He ends his spell at the Emirates with a record of 20 goals in 67 appearances for the Gunners. Shakhtar's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu said: "We wanted to buy Eduardo before he moved to Arsenal. "Not everything went his way last season, but he is still a player of very high quality, a real marksman. "Yes, he had a serious injury, we are aware of the risk, but at the same time we realise he can give a lot to Shakhtar. We expect a lot from Eduardo."