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."

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Wolfsburg make their move for Mandžukić

VfL Wolfsburg general manager Dieter Hoeness is backing Mario Mandžukić to "add lots of power to our attack" after the Bundesliga outfit signed the Croatia forward from NK Dinamo Zagreb.

VfL Wolfsburg have strengthened their attacking options by signing Croatian international striker Mario Mandžukić from NK Dinamo Zagreb for a fee reported to be in the region of €7-8m. Mandžukić, 24, has agreed a four-year contract with the Bundesliga club and will compete for a place in the Wolves' forward line with prolific duo Edin Džeko and Grafite. "We're very happy to have signed Mario and are convinced that he'll add lots of power to our attack," said Dieter Hoeness, the Wolfsburg general manager. "It is also an advantage that he speaks German."

Mandžukić scored 14 goals in 24 league appearances last term as Dinamo won the Croatian title for the fifth successive season. In total, Mandžukić averaged better than a goal every two games for his former club, striking 42 times in 81 matches. He signed off as a Dinamo player with two goals in a 5-1 defeat of FC Koper in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie on Tuesday. Naturally, Wolsfburg coach Steve McClaren is delighted to have acquired the forward who moved to Germany in 1992 with his parents, starting his youth career with TSF Ditzingen. "In our system it is important that the strikers are flexible," said McClaren. "I have followed Mandžukić for a while and I'm happy that he's with us now."

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