Craig Burley (left) and Martin Odegaard - both pics GETTY
Craig Burley (left) and Martin Odegaard - both pics GETTY
Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has said that Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze is more useful for the team than captain Martin Odegaard, who has recently returned from injury.
Eze, 27, arrived from Crystal Palace this summer in a reported deal worth £67.5 million but has struggled for regular game time, especially after Odegaard's return. Nevertheless, the former Palace man dazzled in the Gunners' 4-1 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (February 22) with a brace.
“Eze, it has been a roller-coaster for him (after joining Arsenal). Burley said on ESPN. "He’s a much better player than what we’ve seen from his consistency. That has been plagued a little bit by Odegaard’s return, and he has spent a bit of time out of position and on the bench. So he has found it hard to get that consistency."
Burley acknowledged Odegaard's quality but noted that Eze has more to give to the team up front despite his occasional defensive lapses:
“We talked about Odegaard in the big games last season. He’s a tidy player, but does he do enough in terms of end product in the bigger games? There’s a question to be asked about that. If you give Eze a run in the team, I do think he’s got more end product.
"Odegaard does some lovely things in the middle of the park, nice little link-up play. I’m not taking that away from him, but Eze may sometimes look a bit lazy, may give the ball away at times, but you just feel he’s got that special ingredient.”
Eze started at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, scoring a brace either side of half-time before getting replaced by Odegaard, who assisted Viktor Gyokeres' 94th-minute strike.
"He was absolutely brilliant" - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta showers praise on Eberechi Eze
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta (centre)
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta (centre)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta waxed lyrical of attacker Eberechi Eze's performance in the convincing Premier League win at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur as the Gunners completed a league double.
In November, Arteta's side had won the reverse fixture 4-1 at home, with Eze registering a hat-trick. Less than three months later, he was on the money against Spurs again, with a brace.
"Unbelievable," Arteta told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The manner he has played. He was absolutely brilliant. We needed big performances individually, and they have all done it."
The win at Tottenham snapped the Gunners' two-game drawing streak as they go five points clear of second-placed Manchester City at the top, having drawn 1-1 at Brentford and 2-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers in their two previous outings.