When Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, it was something of a fairy tale.
Eze has been open about the way in which he was rejected by the Gunners as a child. He cried in his room after hearing the news.
So, when the opportunity arose to rejoin the club just over a year ago, he took it with both hands.
Eze rejected Spurs and decided to head to the Emirates Stadium instead. Paraded in front of fans with his baggy jeans flowing in the wind, he also wore a beaming smile. This was the happiest man in the world.
Yet, despite winning a Premier League title, the attacker’s stay in north London hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.
Why Eze has struggled at Arsenal
Eze arrived in Islington in August 2025 highly regarded. This was one of the Premier League’s finest attacking midfielders and he was set to bring a whole heap of goals and assists to Mikel Arteta’s side.
In truth, the England international has not been a terrible signing. He ended last season with ten goals and five assists in all competitions.
Yet for a player who cost £67m, you’d expect a lot more. Five of those goals came in two memorable wins over Spurs, and for that, supporters will forever be thankful. He will always be a cult hero.
Sadly, that level of performance has not been consistent and it’s landed him in hot water with Arteta.
The Spaniard hasn’t always trusted Eze and you have to go back to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in last December to realise why.
The former Palace man was brought off at half-time in that one after failing to track Matty Cash’s run in the build-up to Villa’s opener. It took Eze a while to get back in Arteta’s good books.
While he did start the next game at home to Wolves, he lasted just 57 minutes. The big-money signing was then an unused sub across the subsequent four league matches.
He didn’t start another Premier League game until February vs Brentford, where, coincidentally, he was withdrawn at half-time again. In all, it was an underwhelming first season for a player who, on his day, can be so magical to watch.
Why it’s time for Arsenal to replace Eze
After winning the Premier League, this was the time for Arsenal to make a statement in the transfer window.
They did so by signing midfielder Bruno Guimaraes for £75m from Newcastle but beyond that, there wasn’t an awful lot of excitement, certainly in comparison to the previous summer.
The Gunners were ambitious in their efforts to bring Vinicius Junior to the Emirates but he ultimately ended up staying at Real Madrid. Julian Alvarez was the subject of Arsenal interest but also stayed in the Spanish capital. Another target in Morgan Rogers ended up at Chelsea.
As a result, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard moving on, Eze has been used as one of their replacements alongside summer arrival Christos Tzolis.
Sadly for Eze, his new Greek teammate has outperformed him. Tzolis is yet to score but he does have four assists already. Eze, by way of comparison, only has one assist. He’s not found the net either.
|
Tzolis vs Eze: Minutes played this season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Tzolis mins |
Fixture |
Eze mins |
|
76′ |
Coventry |
14′ |
|
45′ |
Aston Villa |
45′ |
|
90′ |
Chelsea |
0 |
|
81′ |
Sunderland |
9′ |
|
73′ |
Brighton |
17′ |
The simple fact is that the 28-year-old is not a winger. His best work has always come in a more central position. That tally of 14 goals and 12 assists during his final year at Selhurst Park were as an attacking midfielder.
Yet, with Martin Odegaard now back to his best, he’s not going to be able to play in his favoured role. It’s time to move on.
Arsenal have a future Eze replacement arriving
There have been moments of joy in Eze’s Arsenal career. That hat-trick against Spurs will never be forgotten.
The trouble is that there are now several obstacles in his way, not least Odegaard and Tolis, but also young Max Dowman.
The teenager was electric against Ipswich Town in his only start of 2026/27, scoring twice at Portman Road. Eze did supply his opener in that one, but there wasn’t much to it. All he had to do was lay the ball off to Dowman who did the rest.
Yet, Dowman is not the only exciting young attacking midfielder who is going to cause Eze problems. In early September, Arsenal announced that they had agreed a deal to sign Georgian wonderkid Andria Bartishvili.
Just 17, the Gunners have reached a pre-contract agreement with the youngster. He will officially sign in the summer of 2027.
So, why’s he rated so highly? Why is he going to cause issues for Eze?
Well, first and foremost, he’s a tricky little forward, someone capable of not just playing as a number 10 but also as a left winger or right winger. His heritage has already seen comparisons drawn to fellow Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but despite the rolled-down socks and impressive dribbling ability, there’s another footballing icon he’s more similar to.
In the words of Georgian football expert Saba Sapanadze who spoke to Football.London, “stylistically, Khvicha and Andria are very different players.”
Sapanadze explained: “Khvicha is a pure winger, much quicker, with long, powerful strides. Andria operates more centrally, behind the striker, and one of his biggest strengths is his ability to break through midfield from central areas. In terms of style, I’d compare him more to Kevin De Bruyne.”
There’s also a bit of Alvarez to him. The Argentine is a centre-forward by trade but he’s also extremely versatile. He’s a hybrid forward, if you will. Like Bartishvili, he can feature up top, as a second striker or off the flanks. It’s that malleable nature that made Arsenal pursue Alvarez so hard in the summer. It’s the same malleable nature that makes this young Georgian such an eye-catching signing.
Just 5 foot 7, Bartishvili will need to bulk up a bit to make an impact in the Premier League but he’s such an exciting young player. He’s arguably one of the best teenagers in European football right now.
Despite his age, he is already making a mighty fine impact in the Georgian top-flight with Iberia 1999. The teen has scored twice and registered two assists in 893 minutes of league action this term.
Given the volume of football he’s already played at that level, this is not a signing for the academy; this is a signing with the first team very much in mind.
Much like Eze, the Georgian is a true maverick. When he gets on the ball, his first thought is about driving forward; it’s about making things happen.
Alongside Dowman, Arsenal are set to boast two of the most talented teenagers on the continent. For Eze, that’s bad news. Both players have the potential to take the famous number 10 shirt away from him.