Tottenham Hotspur fans are sick of the song ‘Indecision’ by Sampha, but it is the perfect way to describe Eberechi Eze’s move from Crystal Palace to Arsenal. The English attacker let it all work out and made a dream transfer to the Emirates.
The Gunners sealed a £67.5m deal for Eze and beat Spurs to the Englishman. It’s well-documented just how close the 27-year-old came to joining the Lilywhites.
Eze has been a thorn in their side ever since joining their North London rivals. His debut derby outing saw him bag a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at home before netting a brace in a 4-1 win in the reverse fixture.
Tottenham’s Eze torment
Tottenham grew confident that they could land Eze despite the player holding talks with Arsenal in the early stages of the transfer window. They felt they had an agreement in place with Palace to sign the versatile attacker.
Eze had even agreed on personal terms with Spurs ahead of a proposed switch. But a phone call with Mikel Arteta quickly changed his mind.
The player himself took it upon himself just to check whether there was any chance of the Gunners coming in for him. He made the call at the perfect time as Kai Havertz suffered an injury, leaving Arteta exploring the market.
Arteta touched on the phone call shortly after the deal was finalised and Eze signed with Arsenal:
“That shows you how much he wanted to come. It is very difficult sometimes because you want to be very open and transparent with the players.“
The call was the turning point in the transfer saga and led to Arsenal’s higher-ups deciding to revisit a potential deal. They had no issues getting Eze on board, and Palace accepted their £67.5m offer.
Spurs were left looking foolish, having put so much work into trying to sign the England international. But Eze grew up supporting their cross-city rivals, and once they were back in the picture, there was only one outcome.
Eze’s decision
Eze may well have become more of a focus in a Spurs team that has been dragged into a relegation battle. He could have made the world of difference for the Lilywhites who are lacking creativity unlike Arsenal who are top of the league and firing on all cylinders.
The former Palace man suggested in September that he had no concerns about missing out on a move to the Emirates. He was happy to get his dream move (via Standard):
“Worried? No. Because I play football. That’s what I do and wherever I am, I want to be the best I can be and I’m confident I’ll do that wherever I am.”
He added:
“I’m grateful that it’s Arsenal and that I’ve got the opportunity to play there and do what I do and I’m looking forward to it.”
Eze hasn’t been an overwhelming success just yet since making the move. He was a star man for Palace, playing a crucial role in last season’s FA Cup triumph.
The former QPR youngster is battling it out with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard for a starting berth as Arteta’s number 10. His recent performances suggest he might just be sending the Norweigan to the substitutes bench.
‘A happy ending’… Just not for Spurs
Steve Parish admitted in the summer of 2024 that he was astounded by the lack of interest in Eze. The Palace chairman’s comments were justified, given his performance in the 2023-24 campaign.
Eze posted 11 goals and four assists in 27 Premier League games. He bounced back from an achilles injury and featured for England at this year’s European Championships.
There was little chance of the Eagles keeping him at Selhurst Park last summer following his FA Cup-winning goal. Parish is pleased that his former player got the move he wanted, telling talkSPORT:
“He’d been sensational for the club… He had that Achilles injury that put him back a year, so he probably would have been looking to go a year sooner. He’d achieved so much with us and he wanted to further his career… We were able to facilitate him going to the club that he wanted to go to so it was a very happy ending for everybody.”
Unfortunately for Spurs, this was in fact a nightmare rather than a happy ending in the Eze transfer saga. Every time the North London Derby comes about, they are reminded of missing out on the Englishman to their neighbours.
