Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a final decision over whether or not to pay out the £68million release clause to sign one of their chief tormentors, Eberechi Eze, this summer, amid firm interest from north London rivals Arsenal.
The Crystal Palace playmaker has scored three goals and also notched an assist in seven appearances against Tottenham in the Premier League in his career, including bagging a spectacular double in a 2-0 Palace win in north London last season.
Spurs made their move for Eze after it looked increasingly likely that Bryan Mbeumo would snub the chance to follow Thomas Frank to north London in favour of a move to Manchester United, which has been his preferred destination from the outset.
While there could still be a glimmer of hope with Mbeumo, given his excessive wage demands to move to Old Trafford, a swoop for Eze has looked the most likely outcome for Tottenham in recent weeks.
The 27-year-old enjoyed an outstanding campaign with Palace, culminating in him scoring the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City. That led to talk of clubs looking to trigger his £68m (€79m / $93m) exit clause, with Spurs at the front of the queue.
However, trusted journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that Arsenal now hold the upper hand in the chase for Eze after Daniel Levy decided to pull Tottenham away from a potential club record signing.
Speaking on talkSPORT about the latest on the Gunners’ interest in the Palace star and other targets, Jacobs said: “Eze’s the one that very possibly can get done.
“Because there’s a £68million release clause, and crucially it’s payable in three installments. Now this has been billed as a kind of North London derby – it might be Arsenal, it might be Spurs.
“My understanding is that Tottenham have actually backed off in the last few hours and although the interest is genuine, it’s now nothing really more than that. Eze, some say, is an Arsenal fan as well.
“So Eze to Arsenal could be one to watch because if they can’t get Rodrygo, it wouldn’t surprise me if they ramp up their interest in Eze.
“Simply because that release clause makes things a little bit easier, especially because it isn’t payable in that one lump sum.”
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Eze transfer decision likely to anger Spurs fans
If Jacobs’ comments are indeed accurate, they are likely to leave Tottenham fans angry at Levy yet again – especially given the massive need to strengthen a squad that struggled to cope with the demands of domestic and Europa League football last season, let alone Champions League in 2025/26.
Potentially missing out on the likes of Mbeumo and Eze will not go down well at all, especially when both players would cost slightly more than the club’s £65m record signing of Dominic Solanke.
It once again cries out of a lack of ambition, just when the club need to make a statement signing following their return to the top table of European football.
The spine of the current Tottenham team is definitely in need of attention, especially in midfield, where they regularly failed to control games under Ange Postecoglou.
To that end, it could be argued that Eze would be a luxury signing, although the fact that skipper Son Heung-min continues to be linked with a summer exit would make the Palace man a supreme replacement for the club legend.
It just remains to be seen what happens with Arsenal’s interest and how genuine it actually is, given that they already have Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard who can play on the left while skipper Martin Odegaard is their standout No.10.
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IN FOCUS – Impressive Eze stats at Palace
Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace: 2021-22 Apps 36 Goals 4 Assists 6 2021-22 apps 19 goals 1 assists 1 2022-23 apps 40 goals 10 assists 4 2023-24 apps 31 goals 11 assists 6 2024-25 apps 43 goals 14 assists 11
Eze’s stats over the seasons for Crystal Palace