Arsenal are nothing if not relentless. Having withstood any number of obstacles under Mikel Arteta's management, they are now primed for silverware after years of hard work.
Atop the Premier League table, with a foot in the Carabao Cup final and it all to play for in the FA Cup and Champions League, the Gunners are riding the crest of a wave this season, surely the most dangerous and complete team in English football, perhaps Europe.
Three years in a row, the Emirates side have finished runners-up in the Premier League, but their transfer work under technical director Andrea Berta appears to have provided the final touch, though it's curious to note that, along with big-money striker Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze has struggled to nail down a starting berth after his £67m move from Crystal Palace.
How Eze's performing at Arsenal
Eze, 27, scored the winning goal at Wembley to seal for Crystal Palace the FA Cup last season, defeating Manchester City. Since moving to boyhood club Arsenal, the electric midfielder has possibly suffered from stepping into a team compact with elite quality, and he's been on the margins in recent weeks.
Arsenal star Ebererchi Eze
The England international cannot be written off, of course, but he should be offering more. Still, there's enough there to suggest he will kick on and realise his potential sooner rather than later, with Sofascore showing he has won 59% of his ground duels and dribbles, albeit only creating a chance once every two matches on average.
The key point here is that Eze is not a young and talented prospect, but a lucrative arrival tasked with providing Arteta's attack with fresh fuel. Given that the Gunners' offensive third has drawn the most criticism this season, he might have hoped to have done better so far.
Eze might hope for a more prominent role in Arteta's title-challenging squad, but he has earned minutes, as displayed in the graphic below.
Eberechi Eze - Game Time per Season (Arsenal & Palace)
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
Data via Transfermarkt
Given that there are four months of the season still to play, it's fair to suggest that Eze has been given ample time to showcase his quality for the Gunners.
Equally, though, he's been an unused substitute across four of Arsenal's last five Premier League fixtures, seeing only 12 minutes of action last time out against Liverpool.
Eberechi Eze minutes per game
While the powers that be and the fanbase remain hopeful that Eze will rediscover the form that immortalised him at Selhurst Park, he will need to improve quickly, especially with an up-and-coming talent pushing for their own place in Arteta's starting line-up.
Arsenal's own Foden could be bad news for Eze
Despite struggling for minutes this season, Ethan Nwaneri is determined to fight for his place at the Emirates Stadium after signing a five-year professional contract last year. A loan move has been mooted for the 18-year-old playmaker.
Ethan-Nwaneri-Arsenal
Nwaneri is one of the most exciting prospects in world football. He made his Premier League debut at a record-breaking young age, and he has been described by one analyst as being "Arsenal's version of Phil Foden".
Moreover, he's scored ten goals from only 51 senior appearances in north London red, and he ranks among the top 18% of positional peers across Europe for pass completion and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
This is all well and good, but how does it pertain to Eze? Well, we can safely assume that Arsenal are going to fork out a significant figure on a new out-and-out left winger in the coming years, thus limiting Eze to central attacking midfield, his preferred position, should he want to nail down a moveless starting berth in Arteta's system.
But Nwaneri could jeopardise that, already so talented and so effective, compared to other teenagers.
Arsenal will know full well the success that their rivals Man City have found through the nurturing of homegrown hero Foden, who won the 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Year after an awe-inspiring, title-winning season.
Phil-Foden-Man-City
Nwaneri's on the same track, possibly not good enough yet to start week in and week out for the Emirates side, but undoubtedly capable of usurping the likes of Eze and becoming a superstar down the line, quicker than many might think.
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