Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed he wanted to sign Eduardo da Silva after watching him for only 20 minutes last season in action for Dinamo Zagreb.
"The first time I saw him against us I liked him," said Wenger. "The first impression was very positive.
"He showed in the first 21 minutes on Thursday that he has the quality to play for Arsenal. I knew that before the game. But it is important that he can convince our fans and everybody who watches Arsenal that he has the quality."
The purchase of Eduardo reveals a small insight into Wenger's manner of spotting a player. It seems the initial impact is all-important. After that he relies on his scouting team to either re-enforce it or undermine it.
"I don't like to watch players too many times myself," he told arsenal.com. "I have an idea of the player after 20 minutes. When the first impression is good I believe it. The more you study a player the more problems you find.
"But I am very confident that Eduardo will be a great player for us."
