Just when it looked like Arsenal's big summer of transfer business was done, they moved late in the window to sign England and Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.
The Gunners had already spent close to £200 million on players, such as striker Viktor Gyökeres and midfielder Martín Zubimendi, to take them one step further this season after reaching the UEFA Champions League semifinals and once again finishing second in the Premier League last term.
The transfer could end up costing Arsenal £67.5 million (an initial £60m with £7.5m in add-ons), but it was worth every penny just to snatch him from under the noses of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who were so close to signing the 27-year-old themselves.
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Eze leaves Selhurst Park as a Palace legend, having scored the goal that sealed their first major trophy in their history with a 1-0 win in the FA Cup final last season, and then opened this campaign by helping them beat Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield. Now he returns to the club that released him at the age of 13, where he will be challenging for top honors.
But how did Arsenal manage to sign Eze inside 48 hours after both the player and Palace had settled on a deal to join Spurs? And, for all his quality, will he actually be a good fit for coach Mikel Arteta's team?
How did Eze end up at Arsenal after agreeing to join Spurs?
Sometimes you make all the running only to end up standing still. Tottenham felt they had done all the hard yards in reaching an agreement with both Crystal Palace and Eze, only to now reflect on yet another disappointment in what has been a difficult summer so far for the club.
First thing's first: Eze had a £68m release clause that expired earlier this month. Neither Arsenal nor Spurs wanted to trigger it, but both expressed an interest. However, Arsenal's approach was influenced by two factors: Firstly, they feared 18-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri may not sign a new contract, and secondly, there is a need to balance the squad after committing around £200m to bring in six new players.
In the meantime, Spurs pressed ahead. Eze indicated he was willing to join them, and although they found reaching an agreement over a fee difficult -- Spurs failed with a bid of £50m plus £10m in add-ons not too long ago -- by Wednesday, they got there, agreeing to pay £60m plus £7.5m in add-ons. That figure, not by accident, is just fractionally under the player's expired release clause amount and a victory for Palace who had remained stubborn in their valuation.
However, Palace would not finalize a deal as they wanted Eze available for Thursday night's Conference League playoff first leg against Fredrikstad. Out of respect for the situation -- not least Eze's iconic status at Palace and the chance to play at home in Europe in his final game -- Spurs agreed to hold off. But circumstances began to conspire against them.
Arsenal had been mulling over whether to pursue Eze, but Nwaneri signing a new five-year deal and a struggle to generate funds through player exits had created a lag in their interest. Then Kai Havertz's injury gave them fresh impetus. It is unclear how long Havertz will be out -- Arteta is expected to address that on Friday, but there are suggestions that the Germany international could be out for several months -- and that would leave Arsenal short across the attacking positions, an issue they felt cost them dearly in last season's title race.
Creating greater squad depth has been a key aim of Arsenal's summer transfer strategy. Here was an opportunity to nip that concern in the bud by stretching themselves for a player they like and who Spurs had proved was available, albeit for a larger fee than they had wanted to pay.
And so, safe in the knowledge that Eze is a boyhood Arsenal fan, the Gunners moved, led by sporting director Andrea Berta and vice-chairman Tim Lewis. Arsenal were able to use Spurs' accepted offer as a benchmark with Palace and the deal advanced very quickly on Wednesday. Once the player stated his preference for Arsenal, Tottenham pulled out and a new entry into north London rivalry folklore was created. -- James Olley
How Eze became one of the Premier League's most exciting stars
Crystal Palace signed Eze off the back of a 14-goal, eight-assist season with Queens Park Rangers in the Championship in 2019-20. While there wasn't necessarily a sense at the time that he'd go on to hit such heights, the move did spark real jealousy among some other Premier League fanbases, who'd clearly set their hearts on signing him.
It soon became clear why the Eagles had such an advantage over the others during negotiations: Eze is a South-East London boy and did not want to leave the capital, making Palace -- which had Wilfried Zaha and which would soon go on to sign Marc Guéhi, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher (on loan) -- an ideal fit for such an up-and-coming playmaker.
Eze drew comparisons to Jack Grealish in the Championship due to his immense dribbling and ball-carrying ability. He made most defenders at that level look lost, jinking inside and outside, creating space for a shot so easily. After a foundational first year at Crystal Palace, where he found his feet at the top level, he pretty much exploded from there, registering 45 goal contributions over three seasons for a team that finished 11th, then 10th, then 12th.
That the Eagles so frequently finish in roughly that position is a running joke among the fanbase -- there's even a song about it, which goalkeeper Dean Henderson gave an updated rendition of after May's FA Cup win (to the tune of Shakira's "Waka Waka": "Twelfth again, who gives a f---?/We've won the FA Cup!"). What elevated Eze's time at the club was that trophy win.
He was astonishingly good during that run to victory, scoring in the quarterfinal and the semifinal, then netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final. It felt like Eze came of age over the course of 2024-25. From playing a part in England's run to the Euro 2024 final, to consistently excelling for Palace throughout the season, to being decisive when the lights were at their brightest.
A decade after making his professional debut as a 16-year-old, Eze has developed into a fine all-round attacking midfielder. He ranked in the 90th percentile among Premier League footballers last season for successful take-ons and the 89th percentile for shot-creating actions. Gradient Sports gave him a tackling resistance grade of 81.2, the third best of anyone in his position.
Beyond the stats, what really jumps out when you watch him is how often Eze makes the right choice. When he shoots it's because there's a proper opening; when he passes, it's because a teammate is clearly in a better position; and if he opts to stop, turn and recycle the ball, it's because he knows his team either needs a breather or needs to maintain final-third pressure.
This is game awareness that can only develop over time -- but in many cases, it never develops at all. It's the under-the-surface trait that marks Eze out as special. -- Sam Tighe
Why did Arsenal need to sign Eze? How will Arteta fit him in?
At first glance, perhaps it's a little curious that the club's response to losing a central striker (Havertz) to injury is to add an attacking midfielder/winger. But dig a little deeper from a squad-building perspective and it starts to make more sense.
With out-and-out No. 9 striker Gyökeres recruited and Gabriel Jesus expected back from long-term injury before the end of 2025, Arteta and Berta would risk overcrowding the striker department if they were to add a fourth.
Instead, it seems as though they'll negotiate the opening stages of the season with Gyökeres front and center, then Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard as deputies. Both have stepped in to spearhead the attack at various points, and Merino did so reasonably well last season. Some may feel it's a risk to go with that trio, but signing another Arsenal-caliber striker is expensive work, and when they're all fit, what would Arteta do with four of them?
In the scenario where you're taking Merino and/or Trossard out of the midfield corps and placing them among the forwards, you're left with vacancies in midfield. Eze, then becomes very attractive, as he's not only excellent, but can play left wing, No. 10 and as an attacking box-to-box No. 8.
In Arteta's system, he'd likely feel most at home on the left, offering a viable, creative alternative to Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank. For a long time, Arsenal's creative play has almost solely come from their right side, as that's where Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Ben White play, so Eze stands to add some welcome balance to the unit. He will draw players towards him -- he has "gravity," as it's sometimes labeled -- which will free up space for the others.
