Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, and there are hopes that the attacker can propel them to the Premier League title.
Arsenal appear to have beaten Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze, and there is optimism that he could help fire the team to the Premier League title.
It looked as if the Palace star would be heading to the Gunners’ North London rivals, but Mikel Arteta‘s side have hijacked the deal and the Englishman’s signing is expected to be announced imminently.
Eze’s addition would take the club’s spending to over £250m, and there will be expectations from fans for the club to challenge at the top of the table.
After finishing second for three consecutive seasons, there is pressure on Arteta to finally deliver a league title, especially as Arsenal have not won any major trophy since 2020.
Champions Liverpool have spent significant sums themselves, with attacker Florian Wirtz arriving at Anfield for a fee that could rise to £116m.
Manchester City are sure to have a say in the title race, especially as Pep Guardiola has been allowed to spend more than £300m across the January and summer transfer windows.
Here, Sports Mole analyses whether Eze can help push Arsenal over the line in their quest for the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal’s attacking problems in the Premier League
Arsenal managed to win their first game of the Premier League season last Sunday, and while a 1-0 victory against Manchester United can never be seen as a bad outcome, the victors’ ability to create chances was concerning.
Striker Viktor Gyokeres failed to produce a single shot on target and the team only created 0.28 xG from open play, withthe club’s reliance on set-piece goals apparent once again.
In 2024-25, Arteta’s side netted 69 times in the top flight and their total was 17 fewer than the eventual champions.
It should also be noted that the club produced just 59.9 xG in that campaign – the seventh best figure in the division – whereas Arne Slot‘s Liverpool created 82.2 xG.
Arsenal also overperformed their expected goals in 2023-24 by 14.9, and it is rare that teams are able to consistently finish with such efficiency over a sustained period.
Bringing in a creative talent would be a sensible idea if the Gunners are to compete for the title as increasing the number of chances created would lead to more sustainable levels of goalscoring.
Gyokeres would almost certainly be the biggest beneficiary considering the Swede can struggle when asked to generate his own opportunities in the final third, as seen during his display against Manchester United.
If Eze completes his move to Arsenal as expected, then he may be positioned in a wide role on the left of attack, potentially replacing winger Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian forward has struggled for some time at the Emirates, with the attacker scoring just 14 times in his last 69 Premier League appearances, while providing just eight assists.
Martinelli is at his best when paired with creative passers – his best season at the Emirates came with Granit Xhaka playing on the left of a midfield three – but he is relatively limited when isolated out wide and asked to provide for others.
Eze scored 19 goals and registered 12 assists in his last 62 league matches, and his ability to impact play against low blocks could be important for Arteta.
The Eagles man may encounter difficulties if he was tasked with providing consistent width on the touchline, especially as he has often been deployed in central zones for Palace.
Arsenal could instruct left-back Riccardo Calafiori to overlap at pace in order to allow Eze to drift infield, though the defender has frequently suffered injuries, and backup left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly is not as suited as operating on the flanks as the Italian.
Eze has shown that he is able to link well with Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, whereas Martinelli is yet to demonstrate that he can perform well alongside a target centre-forward, so perhaps Gyokeres’s output would be maximised playing next to the former.
Will Arsenal beat Liverpool and Manchester City to the Premier League title?
It was difficult to see Arsenal catching the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City without adding more creativity to their ranks, but the signing of Eze could be enough to beat their rivals to the title.
Slot’s Reds look formidable in the forward line – they scored four times against Bournemouth on August 15 – but they have looked vulnerable during counter-attacks.
Defence has long been a strength on the Londoners considering they have conceded the fewest goals in each of the past two Premier League seasons, but they have trailed behind in the final third.
Manchester City emerged as 4-0 winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend, and their spending has injected new energy into their midfield.
It would be foolish to write off Pep Guardiola, and it would not be surprising if the Spaniard won yet another title, though it remains to be seen if the club are quite back to their best.
Wolves lost talisman Matheus Cunha and were blunt in attack, meaning City’s defence was rarely tested, whereas the Gunners’ back four have consistently shown they can deal with the division’s best forwards.
Choosing a title favourite amongst the trio is difficult, but Arsenal’s squad should be strong enough to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League trophy.
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