Just when Arsenal’s transfer window looked to be coming to an uneventful conclusion, the Gunners staged the heist of the summer.
Eberechi Eze was Tottenham-bound until Thursday evening. Arsenal ruthlessly swooped with a £60million fee and personal terms swiftly agreed with another wonderful addition to the squad on the way having also dealt a shuddering body blow to their oldest rivals in the process.
Even with the signing of Noni Madueke, there has been a need for another creative spark in Mikel Arteta side. A rather tepid attacking performance in Sunday’s victory over Manchester United did little to ease those concerns.
Martin Odegaard, so often Arsenal’s chief creator, endured a difficult 2024-25 campaign after returning from the ankle injury that sidelined him for three months.
The club captain’s waning influence was an unavoidable factor in another failed title bid and heightened the need for another option if Arsenal are to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool this season.
Eze is coming off an outstanding 2024-25 season in south east London and with a World Cup year ahead of him, has the opportunity to cement his place in Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The Emirates will be his new stage. And rather than serving as a replacement for Odegaard, Eze could be the perfect alternative.
Odegaard still a creative threat
There was fair and legitimate concern for Odegaard last season. Far too often, his performances did not pass the eye test and his numbers compared to the 2023-24 season illustrate concerns that only grew as last season wore on.
Eze on the other hand enjoyed his best season to date with Palace. His haul of 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions represented a better return than any Arsenal player in those departments, eclipsing Kai Havertz’s haul of nine goals and Bukayo Saka’s 10 assists.
Eze created 57 chances for his Palace teammates last season, more than Kevin de Bruyne, Luis Diaz, Anthony Gordon and Matheus Cunha among others.
Despite his indifferent form however, only seven players created more chanced than Odegaard (57) last season with the skipper also top of Arsenal’s charts for that metric, clear of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
Enjoying this analysis? Sign up for our weekly newsletter
In The Mixer is your guide to the week in football. Exclusive breakdowns, FPL tips, transfer talk and more. Sign up here – it’s an open goal.
While it was a huge drop off from the 102 he created in the 2023-24 season, it is still good enough for a top eight spot across the Premier League.
Eze can step in for shot-shy Odegaard
Odegaard has so often been one of Arsenal’s cleanest strikers of the ball. While he did rediscover his range against Southampton on the final day of last season, he was too often guilty of passing up the opportunity to test the goalkeeper whether it be from distance or inside the box.
A tally of 49 shots with 17 on target (a conversation rate on 6.12 per cent) tells its own story.
It is not something that fazes Eze. Only five players attempted more shots on goal than the 27-year-old (101) during the 2024-25 campaign.
Whether it can be attributed to Arteta’s tactical instructions, Arsenal rank low for shots on goal across the board with Eze’s 29 efforts on target last season a better return than anyone in the red half of north London.
Eze also ranks high for combined shots and chances created last term with only Bruno Fernandes, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Erling Haaland averaging higher per 90 than Eze’s 5.6.
His wonderful long-range strikes against Fulham and Aston Villa in the FA Cup demonstrated his willingness to test the goalkeeper from range – with his winning goal in the final against Manchester City showing how dangerous he is breaking into the box.
Hard-working Eze perfect for Arteta
While Eze’s arrival will ease the creative burden on Odegaard and add much-needed goals to the Arsenal midfield, there is another reason why Arteta holds him in such high regard.
With so much of Arsenal’s game built on structure and discipline, Eze offers somewhat of a release, a flamboyant outlet who brings something different from recent midfielders brought to the club in Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi.
Eze also measures high in the defensive metrics that will be most pleasing to the Arsenal boss. The Palace star was successful in 157 ground duels last season, comfortably more than any one in the Arsenal squad.
His possession won stats are also impressive with his tally of 146 only bettered by William Saliba and Declan Rice. While one of the most eye-catching players in the top flight, Eze is not afraid to get his hands dirty.
Final piece of the puzzle?
Arsenal have strengthened across the board this summer with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres all in place.
Eze’s arrival will raise doubts over the future of Gabriel Martinelli. There is also the argument Arteta still does not have a natural left winger in the vein of Rodrygo or Anthony Gordon to balance his attack.
But the Gunners boss now has considerable depth and variety in his bid to end the club’s long wait for a league title.