Gunners announce da Silva deal

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Croatian international striker Eduardo da Silva.

The Dinamo Zagreb star will move to Emirates Stadium for an undisclosed fee, subject to a medical, after agreeing a four-year deal in North London.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was forced into the transfer market by Thierry Henry's decision to join Barcelona, and had been linked with a wide array of players including West Ham's Carlos Tevez and Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins of Newcastle.

However, in keeping with his track record in North London, the Frenchman has pounced for a largely unheralded talent and, coincidentally, the man who scored the first European goal at Emirates Stadium in a UEFA Champions League qualifying tie last season.

Da Silva, who moved from Brazil to Croatia at the age of 15, enjoys a prolific record at international level with seven goals from 12 games for his adoptive country, including a header against England in their 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat in October.

The 24-year-old has six goals in total in the qualifying campaign - three behind top scorer David Healy.

Last season for his club, da Silva scored a remarkable 34 times in 32 games, netting 71 goals in total in 100 appearances for Dinamo before earning a move to the Premier League.

Providing he passes a medical, the Croatian international will compete with Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner for a place in Wenger's attack next season.