Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Leeds United at Saturday lunchtime. For Eberechi Eze, he could only watch on - and the talented midfielder should be fuming as he warms the bench.
The 28-year-old has been handed just 85 minutes over the first six Premier League fixtures this term, fast fading into the background at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners shelled out £67.5 million to beat Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of the player in the summer of 2025 and the ex Crystal Palace man looked set to be a star player.
Eze helped Arsenal to the Premier League title last term, but has gone from hero to zero as he struggles to get a look in.
Eberechi Eze watches on as Arsenal beat Leeds United
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring vs Tottenham
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring vs Tottenham
Eze has watched summer signing Christos Tzolis waltz into the starting XI ahead of him this season following his arrival from Club Brugge for £34 million. The 24-year-old had started every Premier League fixture, until picking up a muscle injury which sidelined him against Leeds United.
That had appeared to open up a berth for Eze to finally get his first start of the league campaign. However, it was Noni Madueke who got the nod ahead of him.
That must have been a tough blow to take from Eze. Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta explained: “Like everybody else I think they need to earn the right to play. That’s up to training sessions and when you are on that pitch to have the impact on the game that the team needs, in order to achieve that.”
Eze can bring much-needed panache to the Gunners
Arsenal have enjoyed a strong start to the season, but have also been criticised for lacking creativity and only edging to wins - three of the side's last four Premier League wins have been by one goal.
What Eze certainly has is panache and an ability to grab a match by the scruff of the neck. That's exactly what the Gunners needed in the first half against Leeds United.
Eze is a midfielder capable of wow moments, and Arteta knows it. After his sensational hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur last season, the Gunners boss said: "When a player has such a talent and his desire is at that level, then these things happen.
"And it doesn't have to be perfect. It can be right, left, ball on the ground, bouncing, ball at this height and he takes it. He has such a quality and capacity to finish actions in different ways."
"Since the day that he came, he has brought something else to the team, a certain joy, a certain aura that this team needed. At any moment he can win us a game and that's the ability that he has and he certainly needs to fulfil that talent."
Arsenal star affected by sudden drop in minutes
Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze
Clearly, Arteta remains to impressed by Eze on the training ground this season, but this is the same player who was praised for cutting days off short last term to make sure he is available. What could have gone on?
The lack of minutes is affecting the player too. Ever composed, Eze wasn't one to throw his toys out the pram when facing the press on international duty, but admitted that benchwarming is affecting his form. After playing 90 minutes in the 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, he said: "It's always special to play, I always want to play and enjoy my football.
"To have the opportunity today is a big thing for me and is something I will continue to build on. When you haven't played so many minutes sometimes it can take time to build into games but I enjoyed myself and that's all I want to do."
Whatever has happened, the player has the right to be frustrated at his manager. To go from playing over 3,000 minutes last term to being overlooked in favour of less experienced colleagues is a shocking fall from grace.