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Arsenal ultimately failed to land the elusive superstar winger they've been searching for in this summer's transfer window, and Mikel Arteta will now have to make do with what he has in the position.
The Gunners sold Leandro Trossard to Besiktas and Gabriel Martinelli to Al-Hilal for a combined fee of £77million, while only bringing Christos Tzolis into their group to replace the departing duo. This clearly wasn't their plan, as they failed in the pursuit of multiple different wide forward targets.
Vinicius Junior opted to stay put at Real Madrid, rejecting advances from Arsenal by signing a lucrative new contract at the Bernabeu. Chelsea snatched Morgan Rogers from the North Londoners by offering an astronomical fee, while Liverpool won the race for Bradley Barcola.
This leaves Arteta with Tzolis as the only out-and-out left winger in his squad, although the Spaniard does have the option of converting Eberechi Eze into a full-time wide man on this side.
Eberechi Eze is Arsenal's Missing Left Forward
Eberechi Eze
Arsenal signed Eze for £67.5million last summer (£60million guaranteed and £7.5million in add-ons). Many believed this addition was the answer to their left-wing woes, but due to persistent injury issues for Martin Odegaard, Gunners supporters rarely saw this plan in action.
Eze started just a handful of games on this flank as he instead covered for the Norwegian centrally, so it never became clear whether this was Arteta's idea from the outset.
However, the former Crystal Palace man did start pivotal matches against Manchester City and Newcastle during the run-in on the left-hand side. Clearly, this is a viable option that Arteta is interested in exploring, and the window that's just ensued will force his hand on this front.
Type a player name in the box below to reveal each answer
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
The tactician actually changed how his left-winger operated for much of last season. In previous seasons, this player has been stuck wide on the touchline, tasked with holding the width and playing as a conventional winger.
Last term, he moved Trossard into more of a narrow role, suggesting that he'd constructed his team in a way to accommodate a left-sided number ten like Eze.
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Eberechi Eze Statistical Comparison (League Only)
Stat
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Shots per 90
Expected Goals per 90
Chances Created per 90
Expected Assists per 90
Successful Dribbles per 90
The 28-year-old operated in an inside-forward role under Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace in a 3-4-3 system, and as shown by the data above, he arguably fared better in this position than he did centrally at Arsenal. This change of position might therefore actually get more out of him.
Clearly, Arteta views this as a possibility. Against Aston Villa on Monday night, the Basque coach brought Eze on in Tzolis' place at half-time. The £60 million signing impressed in the second period, playing a key role in the Gunners' winning goal.
Eberechi Eze Should be Arsenal's Default Starting Left Winger Over Christos Tzolis
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring vs Tottenham
Tzolis has enjoyed a promising start to life in North London since his £34million switch from Club Brugge, but he arguably shouldn't be viewed as the default starter on the left wing in Eze's place.
Ultimately, Eze is four years older than Tzolis, significantly more experienced in the Premier League and cost the Gunners two times as much. Even if the ex-Brugge man is the more natural wide player, there's no reason for him to trump the England international in the pecking order immediately.
Eze should be starting over his Greek counterpart until Tzolis proves that he is the better option on this side. Based on what the two players were able to produce at Villa Park, it's not clear that the former Norwich City star can deliver under pressure in hostile environments at the top level yet.
Arteta should give Eze the keys in this role having spent a significant sum on him last summer, presumably to play in this position, at least for now.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale looks dejected on the bench
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale looks dejected on the bench