Beckham didn't last very long on the cover and was replaced a year later by Arsenal's Dutch magician. What a player.placeholder image
Beckham didn't last very long on the cover and was replaced a year later by Arsenal's Dutch magician. What a player. | Getty Images
Dennis Bergkamp is one of the finest players to ever grace the Premier League, but does Mikel Arteta already have his own version of the Dutch legend?
Dennis Bergkamp is considered one of the best Arsenal players in the Premier League era.
The Netherlands legend might have been named after a Manchester United great but his impact at Highbury signalled the beginning of a new era under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger. After a difficult spell in Serie A with Inter Milan, he showed his true colours in England.
Bergkamp was the right player at the right time and became the fulcrum of an attack that featured players like Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry. Whilst Premier League defenders were playing checkers, Bergkamp was playing chess.
Eberechi Eze can be Arsenal’s new Dennis Bergkamp
Arsenal have came close to winning the Premier League under Mikel Arteta but there has always been a gap or two in the squad. One of those was at no.10 where several players had been tried to varying degrees of success. In signing Eberechi Eze for £60m, Arteta secured one of the league’s most exciting playmakers and a player who could be the missing link in the forward line.
Someone who was ecstatic when Eze signed was Ian Wright. Wright discussed the former Palace talisman’s move with Premier League Productions: “Delighted, it’s been an unbelievable journey for him from being there as a boy, to come back now. I spent the day with him and his family yesterday, and you could feel what it means to him, you know, he’s the kind of player that we need.
“We need a player that has got a little bit more maverick, who can take players and can beat players and can score. He’s a game-changer.” When speaking about the deal overall, he added: “With the players that are around him, he could be a defining signing, like when Bergkamp came.”
What has Mikel Arteta said about Eberechi Eze?
Eze, who scored on international duty against Serbia, may not yet be in the same category of player as Bergkamp in terms of legend status given how long the Dutchman played at the top of the game compared to Eze’s relatively late rise to stardom. All he can do is keep his manager happy which, prior to facing Crystal Palace for the first time since leaving, is clear he is doing.
"He has done a lot of things very well," continued Arteta, via ESPN, of the 27-year-old Eze who scored against his old team. "When you come to a different context, especially the amount of games he is playing -- he hasn't played every three days that often -- his ability and the capacity to perform has been really good.
"Our understanding of him is much better now as well, and the understanding of him towards what the team needs to exploit his qualities as well. What I like the most is his willingness to do everything that he can to help the team. There are certain parts that always need a bit of focus -- can he do that? He is certainly doing it. The more he spends time with certain players the better he will become."
If Eze helps to deliver a league title, then that’s a big step to establishing himself within Gunners folklore.
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