Arsenal flop Kim Kallstrom close to retiring with FA Cup medal secured from brief spell with the Gunners
Arsene Wenger signed the Swedish midfielder on a six-month loan from Spartak Moscow in 2014 despite him having a back injury
ARSENAL flop Kim Kallstrom is preparing to retire with a final season at Swedish side Djurgarden, according to reports.
The 35-year-old will go down as one of Arsene Wenger’s strangest signings after taking the Swede on a six-month loan in 2014 when he was already suffering a back injury.
The midfielder managed just one Premier League start but won an FA Cup final with a shoot-out penalty having played just SEVEN minutes of the tournament.
And Swedish paper Expressen claim the left-sided playmaker is hanging up his boots with the Gunners medal secured, as well as two Ligue 1 titles with Lyon.
A scan during Kallstrom’s Arsenal medical – ahead of a loan from Spartak Moscow - found three damaged vertebras in his back leaving him sidelined for six weeks.
Despite the injury, Wenger decided to push the deal through and Kallstrom later revealed how the tense situation played out.
He said: "I'm put in a situation that reminds me of a talent show. I'm standing in front of a jury with a CD of my X-ray images and bad posture.
"The physician lays down the facts. There's silence in the room. Wenger hasn't said anything. He hasn't even looked at his colleagues as they inform me of their logical verdicts.
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"He thinks for himself. I wait for him to say something. He sighs and says, 'The transfer windows shuts in a few hours. It's impossible to find a replacement. Either I take you or no one.'
"Surprised, the others turn to the big boss. No one knows how he'll continue, but they know that his words are law.
"Wenger decides. ‘You'll stay, heal, and train. I'll take you when you're fit’.”