‘Let it all work out.’ A prophetic declaration that has become the reality of Eberechi Eze. Leaving the academy of **Arsenal**as a 13 year old, he passed through the circuit of several London-based clubs before winding back up at the **Emirates Stadium**this summer as one of the last pieces of the puzzle.
Reportedly on the verge of a move to Tottenham, the 27-year-old only had one destination in North London in mind as long as it was on the table. The board was willing to part with £68 million to acquire his services, ending a fruitful five year relationship between Eze and Crystal Palace.
The parting messages from player and club conveyed the special bond between the Eagles and their talismanic ten. As he clashes with his old club at the **Emirates Stadium**on Sunday afternoon, some part of him will wonder how long it takes until a similar sort of connection is created at his new home.
Culturally connected and craved
Before the start of the season, **Arsenal**were crying out for evolution in the offensive department.
Bukayo Saka had suffered a three and a half month absence with a Grade 3 hamstring tear, and the absence of his talismanic presence was the final nail in the coffin of the 2024/25 campaign. As **Arsenal**bowed out of both domestic cups and lost hope of catching runaway [**Premier League](https://www.vavel.com/en/data/premier-league)**leaders Liverpool, the worst fears of a reality without the right winger on the pitch were visible for all to see.
Many clamoured for a left winger to usurp Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, while even more hoped for a striker to replace Kai Havertz. But another ‘problem player’ had developed in the form of Martin Odegaard, a club captain out of form and with limitations in his creative instincts.
It was for this reason that the idea of an acquisition of Eze appealed as soon as it seemed a possibility.
If Odegaard is the ticker who sets the pressing structure and patrols the second phase, Eze was more of the moments player and throwback ten that would have graced the **Emirates Stadium**in the days of Arsene Wenger when he was at Hale End. More than just an extra tool in the armoury, Eze stood as out the prototype of player to bridge old and new, structural steel and style, industry and instinct.
As he followed in the footsteps of Ian Wright with a move from Selhurst Park to the north of the English capital, the Emirates embraced the talismanic ten as he walked out in front of their fans before kickoff against Leeds United. This transfer was one of the rare deals that strikes all the right notes.
The conundrum of the mid-table maverick
But there was no time for niceties. The Gunners had suffered three successive second placed finishes in the Premier League, and failed to win any major honours since lifting the **FA Cup**trophy in 2020. Mikel Arteta was under more expectation than ever after eight summer signings arrived for over £250 million, and he set about taking the team over the line to achieve greatness once and for all.
For many critics, **Arsenal**had become too stale, short of firepower, and required more freedom of expression to consistently crack their opponents. In eras past, last year might have been the urge for a radical rethink in the image of Wengerian football. But the current meta of **Premier League**football is dominated by patterned plays and routines, and Arteta leads the way with a structured approach.
**Arsenal**are top of the table, having conceded just three goals in their eight **Premier League**fixtures. They have not given up a single shot on target in their last two league outings, and their defensive stability has been the foundation for their attempted title bids in the last two campaigns.
That solidity relies not only on a strong structure off the ball. **Arsenal**are one of many teams that prefer to try and get around opponents rather than taking too many risks in central areas. The ball carrying of Myles Lewis-Skelly and the movement of **Riccardo Calafiori**have been the exception to the rule as they move infield from left back, and it is a trade-off that has been paying dividends.
But does that type of approach get the best out of a talismanic ten like Eze? In Manchester, Jack Grealish got hands on a treble, but the soul of his game was secondary to the needs of the **Man City**system, and it has taken a loan to **Everton**to remind everyone of the quality that he possesses.
Arsenal might not have achieved what the Citizens have done in the last five years, but there is something to be said for the timing of Eze’s transfer in this phase of the process in North London.
If the attacker started to live his dream at a time when the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko came to the club in 2022, he could have a more influential role in shaping the identity of the team as a swashbuckling side. Yet, the reality is that Saka is the king of the camp, and with the margins being so fine, the latest arrivals to the team are going to be asked to fit in more than stand out.
The signs of stardust are present
So maybe it should not be a shock that things have not all worked out seamlessly from day one.
Fans clamoured for Eze to start against Liverpool, but he had to be content with a cameo as his debut. He started on the left wing against Nottingham Forest and Athletic Club, came off the bench against Man City, and he is still searching for his first **Premier League**goal for the Gunners in the ten.
Yet, it should not all be doom and gloom. Arsenal are set on using set-pieces as a gamebreaker, but it would be wrong to suggest that Eze has not already showed some of his stardust for his new side.
Against Forest and Athletic, he highlighted that he is a more versatile threat than just a central player. Though not the quickest, Eze has a good change of speed, using his body feints and deceptive shifts of weight to get away from his marker. These are qualities that add to his utility in the plans of Arteta.
Once he moved more centrally, he has given moments of magic that make you want more. Against Man City, he pulled out a well weighted chipped pass to assist Gabriel Martinelli. At **Port Vale**and Newcastle United, his late arrivals in the box revealed the instinct to threaten with snappy shooting.
Even in midweek against Atletico Madrid, he found the space in a crowded central zone to set away Lewis-Skelly for a first half effort. The pictures in his head in such situations are a unique asset that no one else in the squad offers and a reminder of the reward to be gained from additional risks.
Eze might not oust Odegaard outrightly from the starting eleven, but he is a valuable asset in a title aspirational squad. It can still all work out for the ten, and if he is lifting the **Premier League**trophy by the end of May, the dream will have been fulfilled no matter the part that he has had to play.