Spurs considered including Richarlison in Eze deal
One of the options discussed by Spurs in their pursuit of Eberechi Eze was a cash-plus-player deal.
That player was Richarlison.
The Brazilian starred for Spurs in their first Premier League game on Saturday, scoring twice in their 3-0 win over Burnley - including an incredible acrobatic volley.
I wonder how he'll be feeling about the whole situation.
Willian, Dybala, Gibbs-White...Another lost signature for Tottenham
Another missed opportunity for Spurs. How many times have we seen that happen?
In 2001, Sol Campbell controversially left Spurs to go to Arsenal on a free transfer.
In 2013, they saw their move for Willian hijacked by Chelsea at the last minute. The Brazilian had even completed a medical at Spurs ahead of a proposed £30m move.
In 2018, Tottenham made a £25m bid for Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish during the summer but were unable to conclude a deal.
In 2019, they missed out on Paulo Dybala after Juventus decided not to sell the Argentine, and with image rights reported to be one of the issues restricting the sale
This summer, Spurs were prepared to trigger the £60m release clause on Morgan Gibbs-White's Nottingham Forest contract before the attacking midfielder signed a new three-year contract at the City Ground.
The list goes on. And now Eberechi Eze's name can be added.
How the Eze saga unfolded on Wednesday
Reports surface that Eberechi Eze's move to Tottenham Hotspur is close to completion
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz suffers a knee injury that will keep him out of action for a period of time
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirms that Eze will start in Palace's Conference League play-off game against Fredrikstad on Thursday
Multiple reports suggest striker Richarlison could be involved in Spurs' deal for the England forward
Arsenal beat Tottenham to the punch and agree a deal worth up to £68m for Eze
Havertz suffers knee injury
The news last night that Arsenal had agreed a deal for Eberechi Eze followed news from earlier on Wednesday that Kai Havertz had picked up a knee injury and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
The Arsenal forward was not part of the open training session held at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and the injury is being assessed by the medical department.
The club are waiting for the injury to settle down, so the length of time that the forward could be ruled out is not clear at the moment.
'Not a hijacking at all'
The news might have come as a nasty surprise to Tottenham fans last night but according to the Independent, Arsenal have been quietly chipping away at a deal for Eberechi Eze for quite some time.
The Independent reports, external that Arsenal had actually struck the principles of an agreement with Palace as early as the morning of Sunday, 10 August.
But in the 11 days since then, the Gunners played down their interest in Eze, with it looking like they wanted to sell another player and they were favouring a left winger.
Apparently even Eze thought as recently as Saturday that a deal with Arsenal wasn't going to go through.
One of the moments of the transfer window for Arsenal
Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter
If Arsenal beat their rivals Tottenham to complete the signing of Eze, there is little doubt it would be one of the standout moments of the transfer window.
It's certainly a moment their fans will revel in.
Spurs would have thought they had their man almost signed and sealed, but things can change quickly in football.
Arsenal had been actively looking at options in the market and have been monitoring Eze for a long time.
With Ethan Nwaneri signing a new deal and the signing of Noni Madueke adding to the options provided by Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, signing another forward was not a pressing need.
However, Kai Havertz's knee injury has changed things, and although the Gunners do not yet know how long the German faces out of action, a reinforcement was needed.
Timeline of Eze saga
A lot has happened in a short period of time with this one.
Let's get you caught up...
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So, Eberechi Eze will be choosing to wear the cannon instead of the cockerel on his chest come the end of the transfer window.
We want to hear from you about the whole situation.
Spurs fans, how are you feeling about your north London rivals hijacking the deal?
And to the Arsenal supporters, what would be sweeter? Adding the brilliant Eze to your squad or getting one over on Tottenham?
I feel like I might already know the answer to that one, but let me know anyway!