Looks like Eduardo’s going to Shakhtar Donetsk

"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.”

- Martin Lucescu, Shakhtar Donetsk coach

It looks like Eduardo’s going to move to Shahktar Donetsk. It’s a good move for him, because he desperately needs games to rebuild his confidence and his fitness, and he’s not going to get those games at the Arsenal. He’s still only 27, still has talent and time on his side, and if he can get over that horrific leg injury from a couple of years ago, he’s still got a lot to offer. I hope Eduardo gets back into form and goes on to be a great player for Shahktar. He deserves to finish the rest of his career strongly.

It’s a pity he had his leg broken when he did. We never got to see the real Eduardo. When we bought it, he was hailed as the fox-in-the-box that we’d lacked for ages, and he was derided for not being freakishly blessed with talent like Henry. He scored eight(?) goals in his first season, and if he didn’t get that injury, he would’ve scored a lot more. If he didn’t get that injury, we might’ve won that league title, our midfield might not have disbanded, and Eduardo might’ve had a chance to consolidate a solid second season and established himself as an Arsenal first teamer.

I realise I’ve been referring to his injury a lot, but it’s the big caveat to his Arsenal career. He was looking promising when his leg was broken, and afterwards, he didn’t have the run of games to recover. You can’t say whether he was a good or bad player for us because sadly, he never got the chance to prove himself. It’s such a shame that it happened.

Good luck, Eduardo.

So on the 279th last day of my 20s, I realised that it’s only been about three months since my 29th birthday. It seems like forever. I remember wearing a T-shirt on my birthday, and now I’m wrapped up in a scarf and woollen jumpers. Time stretches like chewing gum when you sit down and blog about each and every mundane day.

Today I went to work, worked like a dog, and spent the night wrapping dumplings at a friend’s house. I listened to her conducting an interview with a prospective housemate, and listened to the biggest pile of bullshit I’d ever heard from anyone. Drank a surprisingly nice smoothie made of various bits of vegetables, and talked for several hours about the GOMD. Came to the conclusion that she doesn’t really hate me.... because she just doesn’t care enough about me to hate me.

I think the thing that really frustrates me is that, like Eduardo, I never got a chance with her. Could’ve been great, could’ve been crap, could’ve been her first team starter, but I got hobbled at a crucial moment in my debut season and never had the match-fitness to get back into the game. Never got the chance to be her fox-in-the-box....