Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with the Crystal Palace man but are yet to open bidding.
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Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish landed a jibe at Premier League rivals last summer as the south London club managed to keep hold of key man Eberechi Eze after months of transfer speculation.
The Eagles had sold the talented Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for £50 million and feared that they could also lose Eze too. Over the 2023/24 campaign, Eze had picked up 11 goals and registered six assists as he progress in the top flight continued.
Despite the transfer talk, following the close of the window, a bewildered Parish admitted that the club had received no concrete offers. He said: "I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael and Ebbs in the same window and we didn't have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have.
Steve Parish ‘astounded’ by summer 2024 transfer window
"I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy's just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s a gift to any football club.
“I don’t think any Crystal Palace supported would mind that fact that at some point Ebs wants to play at the highest level. He’s playing regularly for England, back in the squad again which we’re so proud about. Ebs is still here and it’s great for the football club. I was surprised that that’s what happened.”
That looked an opportunity missed for the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The way Parish spoke suggested that any bid would be unopposed and that the player himself could be very open to a switch.
Fast forward 12 months, when Eze has helped Crystal Palace to an FA Cup trophy, a place in the Europa League and bagged 14 goals across all competitions, you’d think transfer interest would be high. The forward is reported to have a £67.5 million release clause in his contract, making an exit even easier, yet clubs such as Arsenal and Spurs appear to be targeting other players.
Spurs have made the signing of Mathys Tel permanent with talkSPORT claiming that ‘nothing is moving’ when it comes to interest in Eze. Meanwhile, the latest from The Athletic is that Eze is an ‘option being considered’ by Arsenal but that no contact has been made. It’s added that should the Gunners look to make a move, they hope to negotiate a price lower than the release clause.
Arsenal also remained linked with Anthony Gordon, Mohamed Kudus and Rodrygo, among other wide players. Both north London clubs are taking a backfoot approach to courting Eze and that seems a foolish strategy.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur should prioritise Crystal Palace swoop
Eze would be a top tier acquisition for both sides. He may not have Champions League experience, but he’s a proven big match player. Eze scored the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City and was also on target in the semi-final against Aston Villa and the quarter final against Fulham.
Speaking after the match against the Cottagers, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said: “I think Ebere has had a strange season, he hasn’t had many goals in the Premier League and he has been unlucky, but he keeps going, he’s also struggled with strange injuries. The goal against Latvia and his first for England means a lot for him. He always has the confidence, we know he’s an amazing finisher to cut inside on his right foot with an amazing finish. We need this quality, he helped us today massively.”
Steve Parish has outlined that a transfer swoop for Eze would be a very realistic move. Oliver Glasner has kept no secret of his talent, but any football fan has witnessed that. So why have neither Arsenal nor Tottenham Hotspur - or any other rival - made a decisive swoop?
In other news, Arsenal transfer round-up: Gunners make 'contact' with Tottenham target as fresh offer submitted.