Eberechi Eze once thought his Arsenal dream was over when he was released as a teenager, but more than a decade later he is on the brink of a stunning return.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace celebrates scoring his sides goal which is later disallowed following a VAR review during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 17, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Eberechi Eze has never hidden how much it hurt when Arsenal let him go as a 13-year-old. After five years in the academy, he was told in 2011 that he would not be kept on.
“I cried for a week,” he admitted later, a blunt reminder of how brutal youth football can be.
Eze had joined Arsenal aged eight, coming through a system packed with technically gifted players during the Arsène Wenger era. Decisions were unforgiving, based on how coaches judged development and physical potential at the time.
For Eze, the verdict then was ‘not good enough’.
That certainly isn’t the case today.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace during the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
What followed was a difficult few years. He had spells at Fulham, Reading and Millwall, facing more setbacks before finally finding his chance at Queens Park Rangers, where he made 112 appearances, scoring 20 and assisting 12.
From there he moved to Crystal Palace for £15m in 2020, where his performances earned him England call-ups and a starring role in their FA Cup win in 2025.
Now, more than a decade after those tears, Eze is set to return to Arsenal after the club hijacked Tottenham Hotspur’s move for him.
Spurs believed they were close to a deal, but Arsenal struck, matching the terms Palace wanted and moving decisively to bring the Arsenal fan back to north London.
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