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\n\t\tEberechi Eze has struggled for playing time at Arsenal over the winter period (PA Wire)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tEberechi Eze has struggled for playing time at Arsenal over the winter period (PA Wire)<\/p>\n
Jamie Redknapp believes Mikel Arteta<\/a> is reluctant to turn to Eberechi Eze<\/a> from the bench after Arsenal<\/a>\u2019s 3-2 victory against Bournemouth<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n Bournemouth took the lead after just 10 minutes when\u00a0Gabriel Magalhaes<\/a>\u2019 wayward pass found Evanilson, who was left with an easy finish with\u00a0David Raya<\/a>\u00a0out of his goal.<\/p>\n Gabriel<\/a>\u00a0equalised for Arsenal six minutes later before a second-half double from Rice put Mikel Arteta\u2019s side in front<\/p>\n Junior Kroupi\u2019s excellent strike set up a tense finish but Arsenal held on to go six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.<\/p>\n Eze, meanwhile, has been left on the bench in Arsenal\u2019s last four Premier League games and Mikel Arteta has faced questions as to why his \u00a367.5m summer signing is not getting regular minutes.<\/p>\n Speaking after Arsenal\u2019s victory over Bournemouth, Redknapp claimed that Arteta\u2019s desire to close out games could mean that Eze may struggle for playing time if he is named as a substitute.<\/p>\n \u2018They\u2019re bringing on Merino towards the end of the game and he\u2019s [Arteta] not looking around to bring on Eze or Myles Lewis-Skelly<\/a> to go and win the game 4-2 or 5-2,\u2019 Redknapp told Sky Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018He\u2019s [Arteta] thinking, \u2018I want to keep hold of what I\u2019ve got\u2019, that\u2019s the sort of manager he is, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s going to be that expansive.\u2019<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Paul Merson<\/a> likened Arsenal\u2019s current squad depth to what Sir Alex Ferguson<\/a> had during his peak years at Manchester United.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s the substitutions as well, they seem to just grind teams down, I thought they ground Villa down last week and I think today they did,\u2019 Merson said.<\/p>\n \u2018When you watched the first half, Declan Rice every time he got it someone was on him, had his head down, whoever was in midfield, but when you look at his goals no one was near him and they dictated the game, second half they had more composure, Bournemouth players didn\u2019t get near the midfield three in the second half, first half they were all over them like a rash.<\/p>\n \u2018Their squad is so strong, it\u2019s so, so strong. The three substitutions that came on remind me of the old Sir Alex Ferguson Man United teams. I played in a Villa game once against Man United and I think they brought on Van Nistelrooy, Scholes and Giggs and you\u2019re like, \u2018oh really\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018He [Arteta] has got to get it right though, I thought it was a game for Saka to start, for me, difficult away ground to go to but they come out with flying colours, again, it wasn\u2019t vintage but they\u2019re six points clear at the top.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tPrefer us to the others? Then tell Google!\t\t\t<\/p>\n As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n \t\t For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Arsenal's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_279525051-d3da.jpg\")
\n\t\tEberechi Eze has been left as an unused sub in Arsenal\u2019s last four Premier League games (PA Wire)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Headshots-1-78d4.jpg\")
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\nMORE: Declan Rice hails \u2018unreal\u2019 Arsenal teammate after Bournemouth win<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Why Bukayo Saka is on the bench for Arsenal against Bournemouth tonight<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Bournemouth 2-3 Arsenal: Declan Rice scores twice as Gunners hold off spirited Cherries<\/a><\/p>\n