This is not the “robbery” of people, but the beautiful ending of a love story. Last Wednesday, Eberechi Eze was about to sign a contract with Tottenham. It was an undeniable valuable step forward: a club in London, with the Champions League. In terms of career, this is clearly a leap.
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But before placing a pen, there was a phone call he needed to do. Eze called Mikel Arteta.
This is not the first time they talk. In late June, Arteta and Eze had an exchange when Arsenal began to consider the ability to recruit 27 -year -old midfielder of Crystal Palace. But then, Arsenal seemed to cool down, while Tottenham accelerated.
From a career perspective, Eze is ready to sign with Spurs. But he grew up was an Arsenal fans. He once burst into tears when he was eliminated by the club's academy at the age of 13. Before signing anything, Eze needs to know if there is any chance to return to Arsenal.
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Choosing the right time is always right, and with Eze, he made a great decision. Arsenal has just received the news that Kai Havertz had to quit playing because of his knee injury. They are urgently seeking to strengthen the attack.
Arteta told Eze that Arsenal would have a meeting of the Board of Directors that afternoon. When the meeting ended, Eze burst into happiness when it was reported that the deal was almost completed. By Wednesday night, Arsenal reached an agreement with Crystal Palace with an initial fee of 60 million pounds ($ 81.2 million), accompanied by £ 7.5 million. The representative of Eze also agreed on personal terms for a four -year contract, with an additional option for one year.
There was no real struggle with Tottenham. Because simply, if Arsenal sat at the negotiating table, Eze had only one destination.
In addition to chatting with Arteta, Eze also asked his teammates in England who was playing Arsenal to promote his recruitment club. Like the case of Viktor Gyokeres before, Arsenal was convinced by a player who was willing to do everything to get the desired stop.
With Eze, this deal is a dream come true. With Arsenal, it is the declaration of ambition. When Havertz was injured, Arsenal was determined to not repeat the obsession with injuries this season.
After the original conversation in June, Eze has never really left Arsenal's thoughts. In the end, they could not resist him. The pulling him off the opponent and the city is simply the cream on the cake.
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Eze loves Arsenal, and that affection is responded.
Arteta increasingly fell in love with this attacking midfielder, and the club devoted her best to make the deal come true. He brings daring talent, seasoned experience and desire to rewrite his story with Arsenal.
A high -class player like Eze is obviously always in Arsenal's sights. However, at first they had to prioritize other things in the transfer window, first of all looking for a new striker.
When Arsenal started to consider the ability to recruit Eze, this deal was associated with the contract negotiation process with Ethan Nwaneri. Arsenal always hopes Nwaneri will renew, but the negotiations have entered the sensitive period.
Nwaneri is only 12 months in the current contract. With the attention from both the Premier League and foreign teams, Arsenal understood that they could not let him enter the last year. The club never intends to sell Nwaneri, but there is also concern that that situation may occur.
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Arsenal started taking into account the backup plan. They discussed Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White, but Eze was the most attractive name. Even in the initial dialogue, Eze's personality has left a strong impression.
The problem clearly lies at the price. During most of the summer, Eze has a release clause that allows you to leave for £ 60 million plus £ 8 million. Arsenal think that the number is too high for a 27 -year -old player. They hope to pay only nearly 40 million pounds, up to 50 million with surcharges. With Palace, that is unacceptable.
Arsenal's worries finally become redundant: In the first half of July, they achieved a breakthrough in contract negotiation with Nwaneri. The interest for Eze is put aside, at least temporarily. Arsenal sees Eze as a central player, while their priority is to strengthen the two wings. They conducted the Noni Madueke deal, paying the initial fee of 48.5 million pounds – a number they thought was reasonable in the market context.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham have in common in the Eze deal: Interesting attention due to injury. When James Maddison was injured in a ligament injury in a friendly match against Newcastle, Spurs immediately promoted the pursuit of Palace's star.
Like Arsenal, Spurs also hesitate to spend the right release fee. They started negotiating indirectly with Crystal Palace for a price. Initially, the two clubs were quite far away in pricing, but gradually the gap narrowed. By August 15, the two parties were said to have been “very close” to an agreement.
On August 18, Spurs President Daniel Levy had a face -to -face meeting with the Palace side, Steve Parish. The two sides agreed on the basic provisions for a 50 million pound deal plus £ 10 million.
However, the next day, the agreement slowed down. The problem lies in the details: Although the common frame has been agreed, the two sides disagree about the bonus structure. Both Palace and Spurs are frustrated. By Tuesday night, the deal seems to be at risk of breaking.
In North London, Arsenal now also has its own problems. Havertz was absent in the penultimate friendly match due to knee injuries, and this time the situation seemed more serious. Tuesday tests made Arsenal worried. In the most optimistic scenario, Havertz will take several weeks off, coinciding with an important series of matches against Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City. In the worst scenario, he could be absent for several months.
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Losing Havertz even in a short time is also a strong blow with Arsenal. If enough physical strength, many people at the club believed that he was filled with the starting line -up at Old Trafford. Arteta is planned to rely on the German midfielder while waiting for Viktor Gyokeres to regain the best condition.
Arsenal recruits Gyokeres to ensure the depth and real backup plan for the center position. But a long -term injury of Havertz will make them return to the starting line. The club understands that they need to re -enter the transfer market.
Wednesday morning, in an effort to promote the deal, Spurs sent an official offer, accepting all the request from Palace, including allowing Eze to play in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night. But they never received feedback. Just a few hours later, President Steve Parish closed the agreement with Arsenal.
Everyone knows that Eze always prioritizes Arsenal. And the same goes for Palace.
The good relationship between President of Parish and Arsenal Vice President Tim Lewis plays a key role. Although Arsenal once withdrew from the deal, they still watched the process closely, waiting for the opportunity to return if they could sell the player. While negotiations between Tottenham and Palace were difficult, when Lewis and Arsenal appeared as a replacement buyer, Parish immediately nodded.
Arsenal has considered many alternatives to Havertz. They used to think about adding some 9, but worried that it would be overlapping when Havertz returned. Some other opinions are inclined to a left wing player, even the name Rodrygo (Real Madrid) was also discussed.
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But in the end, Eze was the chosen person. He left a special impression on Arteta, and Arsenal believed that Eze brought the qualities that the current squad did not have.
Upon receiving the consensus from the Board of Directors, with co -chairman Josh Kroenke directly signed approval in Europe to prepare for the new season, Arsenal immediately acted. Spurs have pursued Eze for weeks, but Arsenal closed the deal in less than 24 hours.
Arsenal understood the feeling of being “upper hand”. In January 2023, they lost Mykhailo Mudryk into Chelsea in the same situation. This time, the flag is reversed.
With Palace, this is the perfect result. The final agreement is worth £ 60 million, plus £ 7.5 million, almost equivalent to the contract release clause that has expired before the season. There are two competitive clubs that help Palace optimize benefits.
Arsenal also agreed to let Eze play the match against Fredrikstad on Thursday night, moving the medical examination to the next day.
What surprised many people is that Arsenal is willing to spend nearly £ 70 million for a player who has been eliminated by their own academy, without waiting for anyone to balance financial balance. Even within the internal, there are also cautious opinions, because the club is moving close to the cost limit of UEFA's new regulations.
Arsenal chose to approach fiercely this summer. They think this is not the time to hesitate.
Eze, who will wear the number 10, is an additional “Tier 1” to the squad, a quality player to play. He was familiar with many new teammates thanks to England. Last season, Eze scored 14 goals and had 11 assists for Palace, bringing creativity, mutations and the ability to create differences.
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Not only that, Eze also possesses sharp tactical thinking. Under Oliver Glasner, he proved that he could shine in a complex system.
Eze is not a replacement of Havertz, but it brings flexibility to solve many problems. Although Arsenal initially imagined the Central British, they also considered the ability to let Eze play left. His presence also helps the Trossard or Mikel Merino have more space to fill the position of Havertz when needed.
In the end, Eze did not play in the match against Fredrikstad. Thursday morning, he told Glasner that he could not focus on playing. His mind and heart have turned to another place.
Arsenal not only buy eze. They took him home.
According to The Athletic