August 2nd, 2007
Arsenal.com have confirmed that Eduardo da Silva was granted his work permit this afternoon.
The Croatian will now be available for selection in the first Premier League match of the season, against Fulham on August 12th.
He’s also widely expected to start in under an hour’s time against Lazio in Amsterdam, after being named in our 23-man squad for the tournament.
The one notable absentee is Emmanuel Adebayor, who is still out with a problem he picked up in Austria.
It’s good news about Eduardo, though to be honest, it should never have been in doubt. A strong performance tonight would make it a good day all round.
August 2nd, 2007
Another week, another tournament to be won – this time the LG Amsterdam Tournament. We kick off today against Lazio, who have recovered from a post-Sven lapse and a match-fixing scandal to re-establish themselves as a major force in Italian football, finishing 3rd in Serie A last season. After over-coming PSG and Inter (who beat Man Utd last night), this will be another stern test.
Since the days of Veron, Nedved & Co the personnel has undergone plenty of changes, so for those of you who’ve fallen behind on your Lazio knowledge, here’s a quick run-down of some of their more colourful characters:
Cristian Daniel Ledesma, Midfielder
To make yourself a true hero at Lazio, you must make an impact in the derby with Roma. Whatever Cristian Ledesma does in the rest of his career, he’ll be remembered fondly by Lazio fans. Before joining Lazio, he was at Lecce, where he famously landed an uppercut on Roma captain Francesco Totti. Then, in his first Rome derby, he scored this remarkable goal. Imagine how popular an Arsenal player would be if they killed Robbie Keane. You’re getting close.
Valon Behrami, Winger
Swiss youngster whose boy-band looks have contributed to his high-profile as much as his pace and trickery. Behrami wears the number 85 shirt (the year he was born), and in spite of being capped for Switzerland at U18, U19, and A, and Senior levels he is still hoping to play for the country of his birth, Kosovo, should they ever compete internationally. Not sure what FIFA would have to say about that, but anyway…
Stephen Makinwa, Striker
After moving from Nigerian football to Serie D, Makinwa has back-flipped his way through the divisions and is now plying his trade in the Champions League. At 24, he already played for eight Italian clubs. If he continues to improve, one of the Milan giants could be number nine.
For Arsenal, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Eduardo da Silva are expected to be available once more. Da Silva will today find out the result of his work permit appeal, and no problems are expected. We’ll update you as and when the result is clear.
Tomas Rosicky could return, but he’s the most likely absentee from those who missed the Emirates Cup, due to a tight hamstring.Â
So there you have it. Kick-off is 5.30pm GMT and it’s on Sky Sports Something. Enjoy.
