Kim Kallstrom has joined Arsenal on loan from Spartak Moscow until the end of the season, as Arsène Wenger moved to strengthen his midfield options in the wake of Aaron Ramsey's injury setback.
Ramsey, the club's best player over the first half of the season, suffered a recurrence of his thigh problem when he returned to training earlier in the week and Wenger said the Welshman could be out for six weeks. Ramsey picked up the original injury at West Ham United on Boxing Day.
With Mathieu Flamini banned for three matches after his sending-off at Southampton on Tuesday and Jack Wilshere struggling with yet another ankle knock, albeit a minor one on this occasion, Wenger turned to Kallstrom. The Swede has top-level experience, a strong work ethic, is comfortable on the ball and dangerous at set-pieces. The 31-year-old, previously of Djurgarden, Rennes and Lyon, has 108 caps for Sweden. Kallstrom began his medical at the club on Friday lunchtime.
Wenger has Tomas Rosicky available again for the visit of Crystal Palace on Sunday, after complications arising from an operation to repair a broken nose and either he or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will partner Mikel Arteta in central midfield.
Wenger believes that Wilshere will be fit for next Saturday's Premier League trip to Liverpool. "I hope it [the injury] will be short term," Wenger said, while the manager has allowed the midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong to join Barnsley on a permanent deal. It was Ramsey's injury, though, that preoccupied Wenger. "Ramsey will be [out] between four to six weeks and I count six so I have no bad surprise. Of course, it's a blow for us because we recently lost [Theo] Walcott for a long period [the season] and now Ramsey is out for a long period. It's a big setback."
Arsenal's manager said of his new signing: "Kim Kallstrom is a hugely experienced player. He is a midfielder with proven quality at both club and international level."
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