The England international was set to join Thomas Frank's rebuild, but will instead link up with Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium
At the age of 27, Eberechi Eze will finally play for a 'big six' club. He is set to swap south London for north, but not for the half that many had been expecting.
Tottenham had seemingly sewn up a deal with Crystal Palace, and the player himself was keen on becoming the new face of Thomas Frank's project. Alas, he will become an Arsenal player instead, returning to his boyhood club after first being released by the Gunners at the age of 13.
It's another memorable chapter for Arsenal in their long history of making Tottenham's life a little bit more miserable. From winning the league twice at White Hart Lane to pinching Sol Campbell off them for nothing, there's nothing Gooners like more than giving their little brother at the other end of Seven Sisters Road a wedgie.
However, as much as Eze's decision to choose red over lilywhite is personal and a lifelong dream in the making, he should be wary of the pitfalls of heading to a place where he will be just another player rather than the star.
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportCooling interest
During June and July, Eze seemed to be one of Arsenal's priorities for the summer transfer window, despite them splashing the cash on various other positions. Once they had brought in Noni Madueke from Chelsea, that's when they appeared to ramp up their interest in the Palace man, which was a couple of weeks after they had first touched base with Eze's camp over a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Yet that changed when Ethan Nwaneri, who had supposedly been umming-and-ahing over a new contract, put pen to paper on a long-term deal. The club's established beat reporters claimed Nwaneri's new role was going to be as a No.10 and understudy to Martin Odegaard, reducing the need to find an external solution, one that Eze would have provided.
Arsenal wrapped up all six of their incomings thus far this summer by July 26, getting their core business done much earlier than many of their rivals. It was natural to assume that if Eze was ever that much of a priority, you imagine they would have pressed before they opened their Premier League campaign. That they were so blasé about Tottenham advancing their own interest suggested really were focusing on outgoings before any further incomings – Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson all missed Sunday's win at Manchester United despite not carrying an injury between them, such is the bloat of Mikel Arteta's squad right now.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSense of inevitability
Eze comes with a distinction that he feels both very Arsenal very Tottenham in terms of his style. Both clubs have long been associated with attacking philosophies, boasting players who are revered for their brilliance on the ball.
Indeed, the Gunners and Spurs have already been in Eze's life. As mentioned, he comes from a family of Arsenal fans and was in their youth ranks, while he was recommended to Tottenham by former scout David Pleat prior to his switch to Palace. It's no surprise he has been perennially linked with the Lilywhites ever since.
Beyond that, Spurs have close ties with Eze's CAA Base agency, with James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Richarlison and Djed Spence all represented by the same group. Going back slightly further, Son Heung-min is also a client and was frequently seen in conversation with Eze at off-field events. When Ange Postecoglou was interested in adding the midfielder to his squad this time last summer, fans dug up clips of the two speaking at length after Tottenham had beaten Palace 3-1 in March 2024.
With Son leaving in a similar blaze of glory, and with his famous No.7 shirt still to be filled, it felt like the stars were aligning for Eze to become Spurs' newest hero. He will end the summer, however, as their pantomime villain for generations to come.
AFPBegrudging respect
The paths of Frank and Eze have crossed as rivals before, with the Dane always showing an admiration from afar. They first came up against one another when in west London, Frank the boss of Brentford while Eze was breaking onto the scene with neighbours Queens Park Rangers.
During an interview with Brentford fan podcast in 2019, Frank made a point about wanting to show more respect to players who have that bit of flair, and made a concerted effort to demonstrate his begrudging affection for a foe.
"When the referees don't protect the game or the skilful players… If we were kicking down Eze from QPR, I would be angry," Frank said. "We need to protect the skilful players. Of course, we need to go to him, maybe take a yellow card, but if they don't protect those players, we don't protect the game. We enjoy to watch the best players doing fantastic things."
Six years down the line, Frank played his part in trying to convince Eze to join forces with him, with several reports noting the pitch the manager made to construct a team in which they are aligned on vision. These attempts, ultimately, were in vain. Once more, Frank will have to convince his own supporters to be better than demanding the blood of their sworn nemesis.
AFPLevy's legacy
There is, and almost always has been, frustration from at least part of the Tottenham fanbase at Daniel Levy over his perceived reluctance to break the bank in the transfer market. Not to defend the Spurs chairman, but they have the fourth-highest net spend among Premier League teams over the last five years, making a loss of just over £525m.
Tottenham's issue has tended to be their reluctance to match the wages of their rivals; Cristian Romero and James Maddison are believed to be the only players currently under contract on a six-figure weekly salary. They have swung and missed on various big-name players before, such as Paulo Dybala and Rivaldo, rarely enjoying the luxury of star power from within.
Slightly predating Levy and ENIC's arrival were the captures of Jurgen Klinsmann and David Ginola, while the likes of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale were bought as budding prospects rather than the finished articles they went on to become at Real Madrid. Tanguy Ndombele, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, while all costing around £60m, were either not that famous on these shores or didn't come with the reputation of most players signed for that sort of money.
Only two players have come close to the calibre and fanfare that Eze would have brought at the time of their arrival in the Levy tenure: Rafael van der Vaart in 2010 on deadline day, and Bale's return on loan in lockdown. The proposed acquisition of Eze was as close to an unprecedented transfer as there has been in this part of Tottenham's history; he will instead be remembered in the same breath as the Dybalas and Rivaldos.
