Even before the ACL tear to star man James Maddison, Tottenham Hotspur were in the market for a new No. 10, as they were linked to playmakers like James McAtee, Xavi Simons, Alejandro Garnacho, and Eberechi Eze.
McAtee has already chosen to move to Nottingham Forest, while Simons and Garnacho only have eyes on rivals Chelsea. But Eze is wide open for the taking and was pursued hard by Tottenham early in the transfer window, only for Spurs to relent. Now, Spurs were close to securing the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White, so perhaps that's why Eze fell off the radar.
But since Gibbs-White has chosen to stay with Nottingham Forest for the foreseeable future after signing a new deal when the transfer fell through, the focus is back on Eze. With Arsenal cooling their interest in the homegrown London star, Tottenham have a clear path to signing one of the most proven attacking midfielders in the Premier League.
Fabrizio Romano has dropped the transfer news Spurs supporters were waiting for on the Eberechi Eze front. Per Fab, Tottenham are ready "to open formal talks" with Crystal Palace in order to get a deal done. Romano confirms that Eze will go to Tottenham if Spurs and the Eagles can come to terms on a transfer agreement.
Tottenham need a 10 now more than ever
Tottenham are trying to get Eze for less than his 68 million pound release clause. That remains to be seen and is unlikely, with Eze coming off an FA Cup winning season for Crystal Palace, but it is actually more plausible now if Arsenal don't want to sign him. After all, less competition lowers the price.
Spurs fans are pounding the table harder than ever for a signing like Eze after their depth issues and lack of playmaking were exposed badly after they blew a 2-0 lead late in the game to fall to reigning Champions League winners PSG in the UEFA Supercup Final.
If Tottenham can land Eze and have him pulling the strings for Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Mohammed Kudus in front of him, then the Spurs attack under Thomas Frank may be onto something. But without someone like Eze as that missing piece - and there are really no better playmakers than him at this stage of the mercato - then Tottenham could be in for another dismally disappointing year in the Premier League after finishing a lowly 17th in the 2024/25 campaign.