Paul Merson has urged Arsenal to get a deal done for Eberechi Eze, with the Sky Sports pundit outlining exactly how the Crystal Palace attacking midfielder will enhance Mikel Arteta’s side, with the former Gunners star also sharing his concern about Bukayo Saka’s future as Noni Madueke looks set to join.
Eze is one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League and was on the books of Arsenal as a youngster before he was let go. After establishing himself in English football at Queens Park Rangers, the 27-year-old moved to Palace in 2020 and has gone from strength to strength at the Eagles since then.
Arsenal have made Eze one of their top targets in the summer transfer window and are willing to offer two players to Palace to complete a deal.
Arteta wants to bolster the left side of his attack, and while Eze played predominantly as an attacking midfielder for Palace last season, the England international has operated as a left-winger before.
Sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, that Eze has a release clause of £68million in his contract at Palace.
Former Arsenal star Merson is a huge fan of Eze, and believes that the north London club have to sign the attacker, who scored eight goals and gave eight assists in 31 Premier League starts for Palace last season.
Merson told Sky Sports: “If you asked me whether Arsenal should sign Eberechi Eze or Madueke, I’d have said Eze all day long.
“Now that’s a deal I can see happening and it would be a brilliant signing for Arsenal. He’s perfect.
“Arsenal struggle when teams come to the Emirates and put everyone behind the ball. Teams want to limit the space Arsenal have to play in and they have struggled to break teams down with those tactics.
“For me, that’s where Eze comes in. He’s got the X-factor and the ability to break a low block down.
“Away from home, maybe he’s not the answer. Against the likes of Liverpool and Man City, they may come under the cosh for a bit, and they may have to play slightly differently.
“But that’s why you have a big squad. At home, against the lesser teams, where they have 70 to 80 per cent of the ball, let Eze go and do what he wants because he will make something happen.
“It would be a fantastic signing for Arsenal.”
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Concerns over Bukayo Saka future at Arsenal
While Merson would love to see Eze at Arsenal, the Sky Sports pundit is baffled to learn that the Gunners are about to sign Madueke from Chelsea.
A deal between Arsenal and Chelsea for Madueke has already been agreed, and it is only a matter of time before an official announcement is made.
Merson is worried that the signing of Madueke means that Arsenal are planning for the eventual sale of Saka.
The pundit told Sky Sports: “I am flabbergasted by Arsenal signing Noni Madueke.
“I’m shocked. If Arsenal went and bought any player from Chelsea, he’d have been the last one I thought they’d sign.
“I just don’t see it. It’s a lot of money for a player who is not a prolific goalscorer. He’s the sort of player that has a good game here and a good game there, but that’ll be it. The consistency of performance isn’t there.
“I hope he proves me wrong, but he’ll have the good games, just like he did for England last month. But then you won’t see him for a few weeks.”
Merson added: “What I don’t get is that Madueke’s best position is playing on the right, cutting inside and getting shots away. Who does that for Arsenal?
“Bukayo Saka. And he’s not coming out of the Arsenal starting XI.
“So, with that in mind, £52m is a lot of money for a back up player, in this day and age.
“There’s also Ethan Nwaneri coming through and getting first-team minutes. Everyone tells me how good he is. There’s also a kid called Max Dowman coming through. I know he is a very young player but the stories you hear about him and the clips you see; they are off the chart.
“That’s what I don’t get, unless they don’t fancy Nwaneri as a player.”
Merson continued: “Call me a cynic, but is there another reason why they are doing this deal?
“Are there concerns about the future of Saka?
“Are they getting this deal done and then all of a sudden it allows a potential sale of Saka or someone else.
“The one player at Arsenal who has to play every week is Saka. When he doesn’t play, they are not the same team. The players around him are not the same when he doesn’t play.
“If fit, he plays. So why do you spend £52m on a backup for him?”
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