Arsenal Transfer Debate: Wenger May Have Been Wrong in Selling Eduardo Da Silva

Arsenal were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 by a rampant Barcelona, in what many are touting as one of the worst performances by Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.

The Gunners failed to register a single shot on goal, the first side to do so in Europe since 2004, and rarely managed to convey three consecutive passes.

Yet whilst this occurred, the other encounter that was transpiring was Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Italian outfit AS Roma. It was the Ukrainians who conquered, thrashing Roma 3-0 and advancing to the quarterfinals, 6-2, on aggregate.

Shakhtar finished top of Group H, which enabled them to encounter AS Roma. However, had Arsenal followed the predictions of Group H, the Gunners would have had a much easier task in Europe's most prestigious competition.

The North London giants managed a second-place finish in a group that contain Shakhtar Donetsk, FK Partizan Belgrade and Sporting Braga.

On the eye, all expected Arsene Wenger's men to dominate, but it was a surprise 2-1 loss to Shakhtar that separated the two.

On that night, it was a goal from former Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva that separated the two sides.

Around the time Arsenal were in the midst of their thrashing of Barcelona, Eduardo was sealing a well-deserved win for the Miners with an impressive poacher's goal. The story of Eduardo and his Arsenal career is indeed a sad one.

He signed from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2007 for £7.5 million as the notorious replacement for the great Thierry Henry, who coincidentally had just signed for Barcelona.

The Croatian-born Brazilian had been a clinical and efficient striker in the Croatian League, and many believed Eduardo could thrive in the English Premier League.

After adapting to the pace and physicality of the EPL, "Dudu" soon found his feet and netted 12 goals in 31 appearances until the injury occurred.

As Arsenal encountered Birmingham City on Feb. 23, 2008, Dudu received an ugly challenge from defender Matrin Taylor, resulting in Eduardo suffering a broken left fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle.

The striker did not feature for almost a year. Then after a stop-start end to 2008-09, Eduardo was announced fully fit for the 2009-10 season.

However, as the campaign wore on, it became increasingly evident that the injury had left a significant psychological toll on the Croatian sharpshooter.

Eduardo was far from the player he was once—tentative around the goal, he showed a distinct lack of pace and inability to cope with the physicality of the English games. Five goals in 32 appearances was all "Dudu" could muster.

After the arrival of Marouane Chamakh in the recent summer and the return to fitness of Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner, Eduardo was sold to Shakhtar for £6 million.

The move has done wonders for the Croatian star, as he appears to have shaken off the last of the physiological wounds of 2008.

Eduardo's speed, finesse and clinical striking have all returned as Shakhtar continued to dominate proceedings in Ukraine.

The main aspect that has impressed the footballing world is the intelligent, Arsenal-esque play Eduardo has exhibited, resulting in an impressive 10 goals in 23 appearances.

This has raised the question, was Wenger too rash in selling Eduardo?

Robin van Persie, despite his injury, has been superb for the Gunners, but the two imposing enforcers, Chamakh and Bendtner, have ensured a cramped forward line. The pair have had a tendency to be inconsistent despite boasting 20 goals between them.

Had the presence of Eduardo been evident this season, one may imagine a little more consistency in the Arsenal line up. However, it would have come at the expense of either Bendtner or Chamakh.

But was Wenger too rash?