- Arsenal sign 31-year-old Spartak Moscow midfielder Kim Kallstrom on loan
- Kallstrom has played 108 times for Sweden but never quite live up to hype
- He has cost Arsenal 'a small fee' and covers for injured Aaron Ramsey
- Arsene Wenger confirms Ramsey is out for six weeks with thigh injury
- Wenger earlier revealed Julian Draxler will not join Arsenal
- Gunners baulked at £37m fee for 20-year-old Schalke midfielder
Arsenal completed a shock loan move for midfielder Kim Kallstrom, a player they first started watching in 2005.
The move, which was first revealed by MailOnline on Friday morning, has been in the pipeline for many years as Arsene Wenger has monitored the Swede’s progress following his move to Lyon in 2006. Kallstrom jetted in from Spartak Moscow’s warm weather training base in Abu Dhabi to complete a medical on Friday.
VIDEO Scroll down to see a bicycle kick from Kallstrom in Sweden team training session
WHO IS KIM KALLSTROM?
Age: 31
Position: Midfield
Clubs: Spartak Moscow, Lyon, Rennes, Djurgaardens
Honours: Ligue 1 title (2007 and 2008), Coupe de France (2008 and 2012)
Nationality: Swedish
International caps: 108
International goals: 16
Kallstrom said: 'Arsenal is an amazing club with a lot of great players and a coach who has done really well here for a long time. I am so pleased to come here to learn as much as possible.
'I’m here to do my best for Arsenal and to help out the team, so we can achieve good results for the last part of the season.'
Kallstrom will arrive on these shores with something of a muddled reputation.The name is familiar, it has been for the best part of a decade.
Only now, however, will we be able to pass judgement on the left-footed playmaker with a fancy for free-kicks who, to the consternation of many Arsenal fans, turns 32 later this year.
For despite his lingering presence in our psyche, Kallstrom remains something of a mystery.
Twice he has lined up for Sweden against England at major tournaments, first during the 2-2 draw in Cologne at World Cup 2006 and then again at Euro 2012 as the Three Lions emerged 3-2 victors in Kiev.
He was also part of the Sweden side – inspired by four-goal Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who enjoyed a 4-2 friendly-match triumph over England in November 2012 and has appeared 108 times for his country.During six years at Lyon he regularly locked horns with British clubs in European competition and, just last season with Spartak Moscow, he was sent off during the closing stages of a 2-1 defeat at Celtic.
WHEN KALLSTROM WENT VIRAL
Back in October while playing for Sweden against Germany, this photograph of the midfielder with young mascot Max went viral.
It shows Kallstrom helping the young fan, who has Williams syndrome, before the game.
Max’s father wrote a letter to Kallsrom saying: ‘I am writing to you because I’m not quite sure if you understand how much of a difference you’ve made to us.
‘Because of your actions my son was able to experience exactly the same feelings as everyone else: pride, a sense of being special.’
Then there is his association – unfortunate or otherwise – with the Championship Manager series, the computer game which forecast big things for Kallstrom during his formative years with Djurgardens IF in his homeland.
No team was complete without the bargain buy from Scandanavia who would go on to superstardom in this alternative universe.
So when Kallstrom did leave Sweden in the direction of France aged just 21, it was seen as the natural progression on a journey destined for one of Europe’s top clubs.
After two-and-a-half years with Stade Rennais and on the back of his four appearances at the World Cup in Germany, champions Lyon moved for the midfielder.
There he would spend six seasons as a virtual ever-present, scoring 22 goals from 269 appearances and collecting two Ligue 1 winners’ medals and two Coupe de France trophies along the way.
Never, though, did he scale the heights once expected and, when Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted he was willing to let the player go, Spartak came in with a £3million bid in the summer of 2012.
Kallstrom joined Aiden McGeady in the Russian capital but, like the Scot, never truly settled.McGeady brought closure on his unhappy stay when he signed for Everton earlier this month and the pair will be reunited when Arsenal travel to Goodison Park in April.
During his 18 months with Spartak, Kallstrom made just 28 starts and Arsene Wenger’s decision to invest in the Swede has been met with surprise, especially when his initial target was 20-year-old Julian Draxler of Schalke.
Either way, at least his arrival will finally give English fans the chance to determine whether Kim Kallstrom is indeed midfield magician or simply a myth.
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