Eberechi Eze is on the way to Arsenal after a stunning hijack from the Gunners and attention is now already turning to when he could pull on his new shirt for the first time
Eberechi Eze could make his Arsenal debut this weekend - but only if the Gunners meet a strict deadline. The Crystal Palace winger is set to put pen to paper on a stunning move to the Emirates Stadium over the coming days.
His move to Arsenal comes after the North London side moved ahead of their bitter rivals Tottenham, who had looked set to sign Eze. But the England man preferred a move to Arsenal, while the Gunners’ bid of £60m and £7.5m in add-ons gazumped the £50m plus £10m in add-ons agreement that Spurs and Palace had previously shaken hands on.
Eze has also agreed personal terms with Arsenal ahead of his switch. Attention will now turn to getting the formalities of the deal completed.
Eze will undergo a medical with his potential new employers on Friday after he has appeared for Palace in their Europa League playoff clash with Fredrikstad at Selhurst Park. As it stands, he is still set to play in that game - albeit that stance could well change.
Should Eze’s medical go as expected then Arsenal will be keen for him to take to the pitch for the first time. His debut could potentially come this Saturday evening as Mikel Arteta’s side welcome newly-promoted Leeds to the Emirates.
That can only happen should Eze be registered by the 12pm cut-off point on Friday, which could potentially be too soon. Should Arsenal fail to meet that deadline, Eze’s next chance of a debut would come next weekend as the North London side take on reigning Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield on August 31.
Meanwhile, Spurs remain on the lookout for an alternative to Eze having seen Arsenal steal a march on the Palace star. They were all set to seal a deal for the Eagles man but have been powerless to prevent the Gunners’ approach.
They have also been linked with Manchester City wideman Savinho this summer. Eze’s move represents another big frustration for Daniel Levy and Thomas Frank following Morgan Gibbs-White’s u-turn.
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Palace are also active in the market as they attempt to find a replacement for their star man. Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss has been strongly linked but the Moroccan midfielder is expected to cost in excess of £30m.
Club Brugge star Christos Tzolis is also an option following a 20-goal season for the Belgian side but a deal for the Greek is complicated given he only signed a new deal in the summer. The summer transfer window remains open for just another week-and-a-half.