Late in the summer transfer season, Arsenal made a significant move by acquiring England forward Eberechi Eze, who was rumored to be a target for Tottenham, a rival team in north London.
Eze reportedly paid an initial cost of 60 million pounds ($80 million) when he moved from Crystal Palace on Saturday. As a result, Arsenal spent over $250 million ($335 million) during this summer transfer window, second only to Liverpool in all of European football.
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Eze, 27, is returning to the squad where he played for a few years as a youth player after being dismissed at the age of 13.
When Eze, wearing his new squad shirt with the number 10 on the back, went out onto the field before kickoff at Arsenal’s Premier League home match against Leeds, fans screamed one of our own and gave him a standing ovation while blowing kisses to the audience.
Arsenal had announced the move just minutes earlier.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, stated, “We love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club, and his journey, mentality, and ambition are exactly what we want in our team.”
We are very excited to begin working with Eberechi shortly.
Before relocating to Palace in 2020, Eze began his professional career at Queens Park Rangers, a second-tier team. There, he established himself as one of the league’s most dynamic attacking midfielders and a mainstay in the England side.
Eze scored the game-winning goal in the FA Cup final last season, helping Palace defeat Manchester City 1-0 and earn their first trip to the European Championship. Eze chose not to play in Thursday’s Conference League playoff match, Palace’s first-ever European match, against Fredrikstad of Norway, in order to finalize his transfer to Arsenal.
Eze was allegedly in talks with Tottenham, which has lost attacking midfielders James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski due to long-term injuries, but he chose Arsenal because of the increased competition and the increased likelihood of winning the game’s biggest titles.
Eze can play as one of the No. 8s in central midfield, although he is more likely to battle with Gabriel Martinelli for a spot on the left wing. After three consecutive second-place finishes, Arsenal will be hoping that Eze, together with holding midfielder Martin Zubimendi, striker Viktor Gyokeres, and winger Noni Madueke, can make the difference in the Premier League title fight this season.
After making it to the semifinals the previous season, Arsenal will also be among the favorites in the Champions League. Eze has never participated in the highest tournament in Europe.
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