Arsenal complete Eberechi Eze signing ahead of Premier League clash with Leeds
Eze was set to join Spurs until Arsenal hijacked the move on Wednesday.
Eberechi Eze has completed his dream move to boyhood club Arsenal in a transfer which could be worth as much as £68million.
Eze becomes Arsenal’s seventh signing of the summer and catapults their spending spree to £250m. The England international has agreed a four-year deal and will wear the number 10 shirt.
Tottenham had been set to capture Eze after they reached an agreement with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, until Mikel Arteta’s side swooped in to hijack the transfer.
Arsenal’s ruthless move – for an initial fee of £60m prior to performance related add-ons – to stump their rivals has drawn parallels with ex-Spurs captain Sol Campbell’s controversial switch on a free transfer to the Gunners in 2001.
The deal for the 27-year-old was announced 30 minutes prior to Arsenal’s first Premier League home game of the season, against Leeds. He was presented to the Emirates crowed before kick-off.
“We are absolutely delighted to bring Eberechi to Arsenal,” Arteta said.
“He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game. What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.
“His journey, his mentality, and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club. We all look forward to start working with Eberechi soon.”
Speaking after his side’s 5-0 thrashing of Leeds, Arteta continued: “It was one of the fastest transfers, I would say. And one of the most unexpected. But it showed an incredible determination.
“I was getting no news today on the phone so I thought it wasn’t happening. But at the last minute, again, they managed to pull it off. It created some flames, some fire in the stadium, and that was great to witness. He (Eze) has the capacity to create magic moments.”
One of Eze’s final acts for Palace was to score the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May to clinch the club’s first major silverware.
A departure this summer was always a possibility given the former Arsenal trainee had entered the final two years of his deal at Selhurst Park and Tottenham moved first earlier this month.
Spurs declined to activate the release clause in the region of £68m in Eze’s contract with Palace, which expired on the opening day of the Premier League season and after talks failed to progress that weekend, the 27-year-old featured in the 0-0 draw at Chelsea.
A knee injury to Kai Havertz then sparked action from the Gunners, and with Eze previously stating his boyhood allegiances to Arsenal, it was a simple choice for the south Londoner once they met Palace’s asking price – and one that left Spurs shell-shocked.
https://www.instagram.com/eze/p/DNtAmHG0C1U/?hl=en
In a departing post on Instagram, Eze wrote: “Five years, man. Crazy. It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the doors joining from QPR. The day you gave me the chance to realise my dream of playing in the Premier League, For South London’s biggest club.
“From the start, I had goals set and my targets in place for what I wanted to achieve here at Palace but I had no idea of what these last 5 years would really turn out to be.
“They call us a family club because it’s impossible to truly understand what it’s like to be part of this club unless you’re in it. They’re not wrong. Throughout the challenges of the covid times, from the day I tore my achilles and the long road of recovery to that night at Selhurst against Villa when I came back, up until this very day, the love you have all shown me, the way you have all supported me, and how we’ve stood together no matter what, these are things that will live in my heart forever.
“And that’s all before we made history together, lol. Wembley, man. That whole journey. Words aren’t enough to describe what we all experienced that day so I’m not gunna try, but what I will say is that God did something for us that will connect us for generations. The most special day of my career because God gave us what no one thought was possible for us!
“So after all of this, all I really want to say is thank you. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for giving me a chance, and thank you for the love shared that will last a lifetime. Up the Palace. God Bless, Ebz.”
Eze completed his medical at London Colney on Friday and has now followed Viktor Gyokeres (£55m), defender Cristhian Mosquera (£13m), midfielder Martin Zubimendi (£60m), goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5m), midfielder Christian Norgaard (£10m) and forward Noni Madueke (£48.5m) in making the switch to the Emirates.
It is a major statement of intent from Arsenal as they bid to land their first Premier League title in 22 years. Arteta claimed on Friday that he is now working with the best squad of his six-year reign.
