Eberechi Eze has passed on his gratitude to Crystal Palace for ‘giving him a chance’ and ‘believing in him’ after completing a transfer move to Arsenal.
The 27-year-old England international has brought his five-year spell at Selhurst Park to a halt to join the Gunners – the club that released him as an academy prospect at the age of just 13.
Tottenham had been in pole position and were on the cusp of a total agreement for Eze, before Arsenal hijacked their arch-rivals’ move and wrapped up the £67.5million signing at the 11th hour.
Eze – who scored the winning goal in last season’s FA Cup final – has put pen to paper on a long-term contract and will take over the No.10 shirt in north London, last worn by Emile Smith Rowe.
He becomes Arsenal’s seventh new recruit of the summer transfer window, following Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga through the doors at the Emirates.
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The versatile attacking midfielder-cum-winger was unveiled to Arsenal fans ahead of the side’s first home game of the season against newly promoted Leeds this afternoon.
Mikel Arteta will hope to have Eze at his disposal for Arsenal’s eagerly anticipated trip to the champions, Liverpool, in a week’s time.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta said: ‘We are so pleased to have completed this deal to bring Eberechi to Arsenal.
‘Eberechi is a creative and explosive talent with huge technical quality – also a big-game player, with his experience at international level with England also underlining his quality and character.
‘There has been excellent teamwork across the club to make this transfer happen and we are very confident Eberechi will be an important addition to our squad as we continue to build for success.’
Mikel Arteta added: ‘We are absolutely delighted to bring Eberechi to Arsenal.
‘He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game. What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.
‘His journey, his mentality, and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club.
‘We all look forward to start working with Eberechi soon.’
Eze built up a strong bond with Palace supporters across his half-a-decade long stay with the club and the decision to leave was clearly not taken lightly.
Shortly after Arsenal officially confirmed the move, Eze took to Instagram to share a touching letter in which he thanked all of those who had helped him on his journey with the south London outfit.
He wrote: ‘Five years, man. Crazy. It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the doors joining from QPR. The day you gave me the chance to realise my dream of playing in the Premier League, For South London’s biggest club.
‘From the start, I had goals set and my targets in place for what I wanted to achieve here at Palace but I had no idea of what these last 5 years would really turn out to be.
‘They call us a family club because it’s impossible to truly understand what it’s like to be part of this club unless you’re in it. They’re not wrong. Throughout the challenges of the covid times, from the day I tore my achilles and the long road of recovery to that night at Selhurst against Villa when I came back, up until this very day, the love you have all shown me, the way you have all supported me, and how we’ve stood together no matter what, these are things that will live in my heart forever.
‘And thats all before we made history together, lol. Wembley, man. That whole journey. Words aren’t enough to describe what we all experienced that day so I’m not gunna try, but what I will say is that God did something for us that will connect us for generations. The most special day of my career because God gave us what no one thought was possible for us!
‘So after all of this, all I really want to say is thank you. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for giving me a chance, and thank you for the love shared that will last a lifetime. Up the Palace. God Bless, Ebz.’
Palace chairman Steve Parish returned the compliments, passing on his best wishes to ‘inspiration’ and ‘role model’ Eze, in a short statement on the club’s official website.
‘Throughout five years here, Eberechi has been an incredible presence, having had a huge impact on Crystal Palace Football Club and been an inspiration for the people of south London,’ Parish said.
‘Eberechi’s journey is truly incredible: from being released from multiple clubs, to scoring the FA Cup final-winning goal, and helping bring the club its first major trophy in 164 years, he is a huge inspiration and role model.
‘Just as importantly, and no less inspirationally, Ebs is a great person, always positive, always a positive presence, and humble in his dealings with everyone, regularly giving his time to the club’s charity and other philanthropy.
‘He epitomises everything good about the modern footballer.
‘We, as a club, will always hold Ebs in our hearts and wish him all the success for the future. He will always be welcome back at Selhurst Park.’
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