+6- Arsenal knew about Kallstrom's back injury before signing the midfielder
- Sweden international is expected to be available again by the end of February, or 'at the latest mid-March'
- Parent club Spartak Moscow are covering Kallstrom's wages until he returns to fitness
Whichever way Arsene Wenger dressed up the curious arrival of Kim Kallstrom, Arsenal’s manager struggled to come up with some sound arguments.
Arsenal have dropped the ball on this one, clogging up the treatment room after confirming that he will be staying on loan at the Emirates until the end of the season.
It is there that Kallstrom will join Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, the two central midfielders he was supposed to be deputising for as they recover from injury.
VIDEO Scroll down for Arsene Wenger's comments
+6
On Sunday, as Arsenal cruised to a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta gave them another scare when he came off with a foot injury. ‘It was a kick,’ admitted Wenger.
The situation with Kallstrom is a kick in the teeth, a setback for Arsenal after leaving it until 5pm on January 31 to push the button on a recruit.
Spartak Moscow will foot the bill for his wages for the first six weeks, but Arsenal don’t need another crock around the place with 14 games left of the Barclays Premier League.
Who knows what Kallstrom, 31, will bring to the table because Wenger admitted that there are no guarantees we will ever see the Sweden international midfielder pull on the Arsenal jersey.
Kallstrom, 31, has a micro-fracture of his vertebrae, an uncomfortable condition that requires much rest and plenty of rehab following his move from Moscow. This deal makes no sense.
+6
His last contribution to the Russian club was an assist for Abdul Rajeed in a 1-0 victory over Rostov in the Olympic Stadium as far back as December 8. He has not kicked a ball since.
Spartak, who are not scheduled to play again until they travel to Terek Grozy on March 7, seem happy enough to let Arsenal have him.
‘It crossed my mind not to sign him on Friday night and if we had two or three days more then maybe we wouldn’t have done it,’ admitted Wenger.
‘At some stage during the season we have had all our central midfielders - Flamini, Wilshere, Arteta, Ramsey, Chamberlain and Cazorla - missing.
+6
‘It crossed my mind to do the deal on Wednesday after Ramsey had surgery. It was a free loan, we were offered him on Wednesday and we decided to do it.’
The best case scenario is for Kallstrom to return at the beginning of March and be involved around the time they travel to the Britannia Stadium to play Stoke in the Premier League.
For the time being he will be under the supervision of Arsenal physio Colin Lewin until he can join first-team training with the rest of the players.
‘Let us establish the truth,’ added Wenger. ‘He felt his back two days before the medical. We discovered a micro-fracture and we have all played with them.
+6
‘It is on his vertebrae, so the best case scenario is for him to play at the end of February, not before.’
Kallstrom has been on Wenger’s radar for some time, a player noted for his composure and control in his native country Sweden.
He has undoubted pedigree after a decent enough pro career in Ligue 1 with Rennes and Lyon before his arrival in Moscow in 2012.
+6
He has left a team who are third in the Russian Premier League for a side fighting to win their first title since 2004. It is possible he will get a title winner’s medal without ever kicking a ball.
‘There is a possibility for every player that they may not play, but there’s also the chance he scores a winning goal that is vitally important.’
With this injury, it’s not something Wenger will witness any time soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment