Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott believes Eberechi Eze should stay at Crystal Palace rather than make the switch to the Emirates.
Manager Mikel Arteta is said to be keen on securing the England international’s signature, but speaking to It’s Call Soccer, Walcott said it would be in the player’s best interests to remain with the Eagles to make sure he is contention to play for his country in next year’s World Cup:
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“I think the big question or the big thing we’ve got to look at is that it is World Cup year. As a player, if it’s a World Cup year, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to play consistently for Palace this year’, so if I’m Eze, for instance, my thought process: obviously Arsenal is a different kind of pressure.”
“There is the pressure of them challenging for the title and there’s a lot of words being said that Mikel [Arteta] needs to win something this year so being a player that will help the squad, of course, he will, he’s an absolutely gifted player. So he will help the squad, but will he help himself?”
“The good thing about Eze’s situation is that he can play every week and he has that maverick style that he accepts, making and taking those risks. I think he’s a player that can take those risks at Palace. I don’t think he will get that at Arsenal.”
Arsenal are set to face Tottenham in battle for Eze
While the Gunners have been front-runners for the 27-year-old’s signature for most of the summer, they have been reluctant to pay what Palace are demanding.
Depending on what report you read, Eze had a release clause that either expired on August 1st or expires on August 15th, but Arteta’s side were never interested in paying the £68m required to trigger it.
Instead, they were believed to be waiting to offload players, such as Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Karl Hein, before tabling a bid for below that figure.
The delay in making an offer could prove costly, though, as North London rivals Spurs are now in the mix. It is believed Thomas Frank’s side have entered talks with Palace as they seek a replacement for the injured James Maddison.
Having come from Arsenal’s academy, Eze would probably prefer to make the switch to the Emirates but there is now a good chance that he could end up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium instead.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here