When Thomas Tuchel and his staff first assessed Eberechi Eze and his potential for the squad they are building capable of winning the 2026 World Cup, they conceded he didn’t have the numbers to compete with the extraordinary range of available options. But they felt he warranted a closer look.
Tuchel took a trip to Selhurst Park in one of his last games before naming his first squad back in March, texting Eze and the growing England cohort in the Crystal Palace squad before the match against Ipswich, letting them know he’d be there.
Eze didn’t have the best of games, especially by recent standards. He was one of the weaker players in the narrow win. And yet there were a few things that stuck out for Tuchel.
He liked the way Eze spoke to other players, encouraged them, his unassuming manner, his focus in the warm-up, his response to mistakes. Eze’s demeanour was exactly what Tuchel is looking for in his World Cup winning building blocks.
Tuchel saw enough to call him up. The transformation since has been remarkable.
Eze came off the bench to score against Latvia, his first goal in almost three months, which became a first of 10 in 14 games, including a winner in the FA Cup final as Tuchel sat in the Wembley stands.
Before England’s last camp, Eze had scored only two goals from 83 shots in the league this season, a conversion rate of 2.4 per cent – the second worst in the league. Since the March camp, he’s scored 31.6 percent of his shots, a rate bettered only by one other player.
Meanwhile, Tuchel and Eze have spoken several times.
“He’s flying,” was the way the England manager described Eze shortly after naming him in his latest squad.
“I feel more hunger, more determination to score, to be decisive. He did fantastic. The quality he showed in training was outstanding and I’m happy that he could prove it after camp, and even step up his level.”
It’s precisely the response Tuchel wanted: a player loving camp, thriving in the environment, improving rather than shrinking under the increased pressure and intensity.
From his first day in charge, Tuchel has given the sense his World Cup squad will not necessarily be a starting XI and fringe group with the biggest stars all crammed in, however they fit.
Tuchel wants the right shape and feel and balance. He is still enjoying the luxury of taking a bigger picture perspective, giving some outsiders a chance, getting to know them, leaving out more established stars who could return if others don’t impress.
But the England manager expects by the autumn camps, when they come thick and fast from September through to November, he will narrow focus. A sculptor who has spent months working out the vague size of his statue finally chipping away to reveal the finer details.
It was striking that when Tuchel was discussing his forward options, the profile of his strikers, where goals might come from, the attacking midfielders with striker instincts, entirely unprompted he name-checked Eze in the same breath as Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
“We have offensive midfielders who almost play as strikers,” Tuchel said. “If I see Jude moving into the box, the hunger that he has to score. He almost behaves as a striker. Phil is normally for me a half nine, half ten-ish player. Ebbs scores a lot lately.”
It is – perhaps – a faint hint at how he has started to see the Palace player. who offers something a little different, a quality hard to put your finger on.
There are shades of unpredictability, chaos and randomness to how Eze plays. Qualities that can be hard to quantify on spreadsheets and data charts. It’s possibly – alongside side his comparatively small size – why so many clubs turned him away as a teenager before he was given a lifeline at Queens Park Rangers.
A few years ago, The i Paper spoke to one of the QPR coaches who oversaw his Eze’s trial and why they gave him a chance. Paul Hall recalled the way Eze “can turn a dour moment into a magical moment with one movement of his body”, how they nicknamed him “Drunken Master” for the way he shimmied and swayed so deceptively on the pitch.
Their keen eyes turned into a £19.5m profit when Eze signed for Palace in 2020. His value has trebled – and then some – since. And ahead lies a pivotal summer, when a release clause of £60m, including another £8m in add-ons, will be active once more.
But one that should be handled delicately.
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Last summer, Palace knew Michael Olise was leaving for Bayern Munich and feared Eze’s release clause would be triggered. Instead, executives were shocked not to receive any bids. Especially as Manchester City had scouted the player so extensively.
Palace now would like Eze to sign a fresh contract but are braced for interest. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and City are expected to keep an eye on developments. Bayern Munich have also been scouting him, although sources indicate they are not expected to bid this summer.
Already Tuchel has made clear that playing for Champions League clubs isn’t a necessity. Equally, it can’t hurt. But then first seasons at new clubs are notoriously hard for players.
Eze has the numbers now. What he does with them will be fascinating to watch.