Ian Wright has given an insight into what Eberechi Eze returning to boyhood club Arsenal meant to his family after the Gunners hijacked Tottenham's attempt to sign the forward
Ian Wright has revealed how close Eberechi Eze was to joining Tottenham and the role his family played in his eventual move to Arsenal. Eze has become the Gunners' seventh signing of the summer, taking their spending spree to £250m.
North London rivals Spurs had been set to capture Eze after they reached an agreement with Crystal Palace last week. However, the Gunners ruthlessly swept in after Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury in the opening-weekend victory at Manchester United.
Given that Eze is a former Arsenal youngster and a Gunners supporter, his head was turned. A four-year deal was soon agreed before he was formally presented to fans ahead of Saturday’s 5-0 win over Leeds United.
Wright has said his family believe the injury to Havertz, which paved the way to his dream move, was a gift from God. The Arsenal legend told the Stick to Football show: “It [Eze to Spurs] was done. He’s very God fearing.
"I know a lot of people will turn round and go, ‘Here we go,’ but they genuinely believe it’s happened because it’s meant to happen. That’s why, when he walked out of the tunnel, he could feel it, he couldn’t believe it had happened.”
On what signing for Arsenal meant to Eze and his family, Wright said: “The whole family are Arsenal. You can imagine what his family are going through, [thinking] ‘He’s going to playing for Tottenham.’
“The pure happiness and joy of him being there [at Arsenal], you just feel like it’s going to work out for him. I want it to work out for him simply for that reason.
“It’s where he wants to be. It’s very rare you get where you want to be at the level he’s at. He got thrown out of there [Arsenal] at 13 and came back.”
Following Eze’s emotional introduction and the win over Leeds, Mikel Arteta addressed the breakneck speed of the transfer. He said: “It was one of the fastest transfers, I would say. And one of the most unexpected. But it showed an incredible determination.
“I was getting no news today on the phone so I thought it wasn’t happening. But at the last minute, again, they managed to pull it off. It created some flames, some fire in the stadium, and that was great to witness. He has the capacity to create magic moments.”
Eze addressed his faith when being interviewed by Wright for the Gunners' media channels. He said: “I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here, to be playing. To be recognised in this type of manner is what I wanted to do. I feel so blessed.”