Eberechi Eze was hooked at half-time on Thursday night.
Eberechi Eze was hooked at half-time on Thursday night. | Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images
Mikel Arteta said he decided to withdraw Eberechi Eze at half time of Thursday’s 1–1 draw with Brentford because the £67.5 million ($91.9 million) recruit wasn’t causing “problems.”
Eberechi Eze: Key Stats per 90 Minutes This Season
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Statistic Avg. per 90 Minutes
Goals 0.32
Expected Goals (xG) 0.20
Assists 0.16
Expected Assists (xA) 0.14
Big Chances Created 0.24
Touches in Opposition Box 3.42
Successful Dribbles 1.59
Arsenal Need Eze to Step Up
Ultimately, the former Crystal Palace star must begin delivering to reduce the demands on Ødegaard, at a time when Arsenal are potentially having to play every few days without dropping their level.
Aside from the club’s trophy pursuit—it’s six years since any major silverware found its way to the red half of north London and a 22-year wait for the Premier League title—Eze also has the 2026 World Cup with England becoming clearer on the horizon.
Eze has rarely been out of the England setup since making his debut in June of 2023, even scoring off the bench in two of the last three World Cup qualifiers against Latvia and Serbia in October and November respectively. But there has been no international window since his dip in club form and whether Thomas Tuchel retains Eze anyway for next month’s warm-up friendlies against Uruguay and Japan is likely to be a big indicator as to his chances of making it to the final tournament.
There is significant competition for attacking places in the England squad. Cole Palmer hasn’t featured since June because of injuries in the first half of the season, while Ollie Watkins, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Gibbs-White did not play in November either. Even Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, previously called up by Tuchel as a left back, is a threat to Eze given how he has suddenly been thriving in a more advanced role at club level in recent weeks.
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