North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are chasing the same £68m-rated superstar
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It’s been a summer of confusion and disappointment at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Spurs’ strong showing in the UEFA Super Cup hints that behind the chaos, Thomas Frank’s methods are working and they look set to finish the transfer window strongly with several high-profile targets from Premier League rivals.
While Tottenham have officially made six signings this summer, only one permanent new addition to the squad is expected to play significant gametime this summer in the form of Mohamed Kudus, while a host of young starlets from last season’s Europa League heroics including Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear have been sent out on loan.
However, they’re far from done in the transfer market so after the departure of Son Heung-min coincided with injuries to key players like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski and the failure to sign Morgan Gibbs-White, Daniel Levy has holes to fill and money to burn.
Manchester City’s Savinho and Como star Nico Paz are among Tottenham’s targets but Eberechi Eze is the obvious number 10 to aim for and though Arsenal are also chasing the England international, Spurs have the ammunition to bring him to their north London turf, while sending Yves Bissouma the other way in a swap-plus-cash deal that could seal it.
Eze and Spurs are a star-crossed match
The stars have aligned perfectly for Tottenham to steal Eze away from their hated rivals and this is too good an opportunity to pass up. With his average of 15 goal contributions in each of the last three Premier League seasons, peaking in 2024/25, Eze would instantly upgrade Tottenham’s goal threat from the number 10 position and elevate the players around him, while his tactical versatility would be a perfect fit for the ultimate pragmatist in the dugout.
Digging into Eze’s underlying data there’s not really a single attribute that stands out, rather it’s his all-court game and ability to execute whatever plan is drawn up for him with fearsome effectiveness that has made him one of the Premier League’s most sought-after players this summer.
He’s the ultimate do-it-all threat from midfield, capable of beating a defender and opening fire boasting one of the best shot volumes in the league or cutting open the opposition with an incisive pass - and chalking up sterling defensive numbers with an average of five ball recoveries per game last year putting him amongst the best in his position in Europe’s top five leagues per FBRef.com.
Eze also showed his steel in Palace’s vintage FA Cup run, scoring in each of their final three matches including the immortal winning goal in the final, showing an ability to rise to the biggest occasions that will be invaluable in Frank’s Tottenham side.
If Eze does move to Arsenal he’ll either be shuffled out of position on the left flank, a position that he’s played for barely a quarter of his career appearances, or competing with Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi to start in the midfield three.
Even if Eze hits the ground running, he’s sure to see his game-time fall from the well over 3,000 minutes he logged last season, and in a World Cup year that could be particularly damaging.
Meanwhile Tottenham can offer a guaranteed starting spot in a Champions League team who are looking to return to their place among the best clubs in England and have the firepower to do so while Frank has built his reputation on getting the best out of players - Eze need only ask England teammates like Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Ezri Konsa.
Tottenham have what it takes to beat Arsenal to Eze
Tottenham and Crystal Palace’s valuations differ fairly significantly, but one way to get around this would be a swap-plus-cash deal and Bissouma would be an ideal makeweight after falling out of favour with Frank and facing disciplinary issues.
Bissouma would add defensive steel to the Crystal Palace midfield in place of Daichi Kamada and allow Adam Wharton a freer role to dictate play, while don’t underestimate the Malian’s technical ability and potential to contribute in later stages of attacks too.
FourFourTwo reported Tottenham were demanding €20m-€30m (£17.3m-£25.9m) for Bissouma earlier in the summer though given the 28-year-old’s tardy antics, the year remaining on his deal, and the end of the transfer window drawing near means it’s safe to assume any deal would be based on the low end of that valuation.
Crystal Palace want £68m for Eze according to TEAMtalk while Tottenham are hoping to cut a deal at £55m, meaning with Bissouma the clubs could find a price between £40m-£50m that would suit all parties, give the Eagles immediate midfield reinforcement plus funds for an Eze replacement while Spurs would fill another vital piece of their puzzle before September.