Eberechi Eze: Can Arsenal’s new No 10 help end the Gunners’ long wait for a Premier League title? | Football News

Eberechi Eze’s journey to becoming an Arsenal player was one that began with the tears of a 13-year-old and one that culminated in an on-pitch unveiling at the Emirates.

For a sum of £67.5m, Arsenal signed a player they let go from their academy over a decade ago. When he found out he would be released by Arsenal as a youngster, Eze recalls having to train while crying throughout the session as his dream of representing the Gunners was crushed.

Having sat down with Eze in May, after his FA Cup heroics clinched Crystal Palace’s first major honour, it was clear that faith and a family-borne resilience kept him going.

It wasn’t the only setback a young Eze had to face. Fulham, Reading, and Millwall also overlooked him, unable to unlock and foresee the talents of the now England international as the 27-year-old was forced to take the long way home.

Queens Park Rangers offered Eze an opportunity, before Crystal Palace took a punt on one of the Championship’s finest and provided a stage in the top flight.

And now, after etching his name into folklore at Selhurst Park, the Emirates finally awaits as the redemption arc nears realisation in Arsenal’s new-look attack.

The long way home

Palace’s unlikely yet historic FA Cup triumph confirmed what fans of the club already believed – Eze could be relied upon to lead the club to great things.

Eze himself knew that it would happen. For him, it was only a matter of timing.

On the day of Palace’s trophy parade, he sat with the same confidence he takes to the pitch.

When Eze signed for the club from QPR, he walked into a dressing room that had the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke.

All three, in their own right, contribute to a team capable of surviving in the Premier League. Becoming Palace’s marquee man formed the basis of any overarching ambition Eze had, but it had to begin with humbly learning from his elders. It was those role models who Eze paid homage to as the foundation of Palace’s current success.

The groundwork was laid for a new Palace player to spearhead the side as they all moved onto pastures new, and it was a mantle Eze picked up with both hands.

With Premier League survival continuing to be the Palace’s primary goal under both Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira, Eze initially struggled for consistency, with injuries providing an obstacle.

However, the FA Cup proved to be Eze’s coming of age. He spurred Palace on, scoring in both the semi-final and final. The back end to the 2024/25 season saw Eze perform at his very best, displaying a consistency that will have impressed Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

How will Eze fit in at Arsenal?

What made Eze a joy to watch was the unpredictability he brought to SE25. It’s that x-factor Arsenal have perhaps lacked, coming up short in their attempts to fend off the competition for the Premier League title.

Arsenal have been said to have developed an overreliance on Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, who have proved dependable sources of goals and assists. This is reflected heavily on the pitch with Arsenal’s biasing the right-hand side during attacks.

While various patterns born out of this area have unravelled defences and produced key attacks, an obvious foil for opposition defences is to gamble and double up in that area of the pitch.

Aware of this, Arsenal have negotiated means of ensuring Saka remains a threat; however, the predictability in attack means Arteta’s free-flowing attacking side of perhaps a couple of seasons ago has become a team commended for their strong foundations, but at times failing to excite in attack.

As one of the league’s chief creators from his favoured left-hand side, Eze adds a new dynamic to Arsenal attacks. Should Eze fill in on the left, which many have predicted, he’ll become another vessel for Arsenal attacks, creating a balance that could unnerve the staunchest of defences.

It’s also important to note, though, that at Palace, Eze was seldom used as a traditional touchline winger. In Glasner’s system, he was what’s best described as a ‘left 10’ when in possession. As a left 10, Eze offers Arsenal what they don’t have in any of their current options off the left.

In attack, Eze’s athleticism, along with his desire to get and stay on the ball and operate primarily in the half space, frees up further opportunities for a left-back to maraud forward to create overloads. But his distinct confidence on the ball means beating players one-on-one is also an option.

Defensively, the discipline of Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 will have readied Eze for the demands of Arteta’s fluid 4-3-3. As with his Austrian counterpart, a willingness to take up defensive positions off the ball, cover space and support your full-back are among Arteta’s non-negotiables. Eze fits that bill too, as one of last season’s leading attacking players when it came to winning the ball back in the defensive and middle third of the pitch.

And so the title?…

The redemption story to this point appears far too perfect for Eze’s story to close with simply signing a deal at Arsenal. Rejection was just the beginning with Eze deliberately navigating himself back to where he felt he belonged.

He said he’d do “anything possible to win the Premier League” back in May. The FA Cup win just whetted his appetite for more.

The Emirates is primed and ready for Arsenal’s new No 10. But whether he will be the difference maker in Arteta’s long-awaited hunt for a league title remains to be seen.