Player Focus
©TM/IMAGO
The appointment of Ange Postecoglou in the opposition dugout dominated the preamble before Arsenal’s clash with Nottingham Forest. But once the players walked out of the tunnel at the Emirates Stadium, all eyes were fixated on Eberechi Eze. Making his long-awaited full debut after arriving from Crystal Palace for €69.3million late in August, the England international got the nod ahead of Gabriel Martinelli to impress the Arsenal faithful for the first time on home soil after his cameo off the bench against Liverpool. The Premier League title contenders produced a professional performance to secure 3-0 victory, with Martín Zubimendi scoring twice. But how did Eze fare on his first start for his new club? Transfermarkt zeroed in on the 27-year-old as part of our Player Focus feature.
Player Focus: Eberechi Eze
First few minutes, Eze looked relaxed enough and showed few nerves on his full debut. He was calm enough to attempt a neat trick between two Forest defenders, but was dispossessed. But he wasn’t discouraged from expressing himself and continued to try intricate moves to get past the opposition. One intelligent dummy left the crowd gasping in admiration and it helped Arsenal set up a dangerous attack. If there was one improvement to be made from his first-half display, it’s that he pulled the trigger when the space and opportunity wasn’t really there. That level of decision-making is what separates good and elite players, but the 27-year-old is clearly moving towards the latter. Then, just before half time, he showed a terrific change of pace to beat Neco Williams and sent in a low cross that Viktor Gyökeres couldn’t quite sweep home.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten that because it’s his full debut – and he’s been on international duty with England – his time spent with his Arsenal colleagues has been limited. Over time, that familiarity will show. People have questioned why the north London side decided to bring in Eze, but he silenced those doubters with a moment of pure excellence a matter of seconds into the second half. After a fine pass from Gabriel Magalhães to find him, Eze ran onto the bouncing ball and sent in an inch-perfect daisy cutter across the six yard box for Gyökeres to tap home. That goal perfectly summed up how Mikel Arteta has improved his side, bringing a different dimension in another creator with Eze after Martin Ødegaard went off injured. He took the confidence from his first assist for the club and continued to produce awe-inspiring flicks and tricks from the left, linking up well with Riccardo Calafiori on the left side.
Market value analysis
The most expensive acquisition this summer for Arsenal after his high-profile transfer from Crystal Palace, it’s going to be a tough transition for Eze. Going from a team where he is the biggest name to a squad brimming with talent is never straightforward, and with his top-flight experience and hefty transfer fee, the Gunners will be expecting an immediate return on their investment. But the early signs are promising, and while it may take a few weeks before we see Eze justify his case for an increase from his current market value of €55m, this performance showed glimpses of why that could be on the cards. Despite the substantial outlay, his transfer fee already looking like a shrewd investment, at least on this evidence.