EBERECHI EZE has snubbed Tottenham after Arsenal spectacularly hijacked his move to their rivals.
And the Crystal Palace ace’s decision to opt for the red side of North London is steeped in a history of loving the club.
Of course, the lure of playing for a title challenging side who reached the latter stages of the Champions League last season will have been a temptation.
But Eze’s connection with Arsenal runs deep, going back to his days in the Gunners’ academy as a youngster.
YOUNG GUN
Eze, 27, started his journey into professional football with Arsenal, rising through the youth ranks for the club and supporting the team as a kid.
The attacking midfielder has recalled taking immense pride in being “the kid that plays for Arsenal”.
But despite having a dream of one day lining up on the Emirates pitch with a cannon on his chest, it was all taken away from him when he was just a teenager.
Aged 13, Eze was released by the Gunners, leaving him heartbroken and having to fight back the tears to search for a new opportunity.
He previously told the BBC: “As a kid, that’s all I knew. Arsenal was everything.
“To play there, not even to understand what it meant to play first team football, but just to go in and have an Arsenal badge [on my chest].
“I’m the kid that plays for Arsenal. During that period it was amazing.
“But afterwards it became difficult because, as a kid, your identity is almost wrapped up in that. That’s one of the hardest battles I’ve had.
“Because of what Arsenal meant to me at the time, I’ve got tears ready to pour down my face.”
KEEPING THE FAITH
After being let go by Arsenal, Eze was signed and released by Fulham, Reading and Millwall before finally landing on his feet at QPR in 2016.
While studying at college, Eze enjoyed a successful trial with QPR and impressed the club’s technical director, Chris Ramsey.
He officially signed in August 2016 and made his first-team debut five months later in an FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers.
A lot of players would have given up or felt their journey was over after being dealt the blows that Eze was, but for him it was just a matter of keeping faith.
Faith is a huge part of Eze’s life, as a devout Christian who is as grounded as they come in top flight football.
He told the Athletic previously: “I’ve grown up in a Christian household, regularly going to church.
“For me, it’s hugely important, simply because of the peace of mind it gives me. It allows me to regulate myself and put things into perspective.
“Football can get super intense and you can get caught up in it all, but my faith allows me to realign my focus and know there’s something greater and that there’s a deeper purpose as to why I’m in the position I’m in.”
Now Eze even shows his faith on the pitch, recognising Jesus Christ with his crucifix celebration.
His down to earth attitude is also represented by his love for chess, a passion that has seen him face off against billionaire Richard Branson and even earned him £15,000 in an online chess tournament earlier this year.
REAPING THE REWARDS
Keeping that faith in God and, crucially, in himself, meant that Eze was able to keep plucking away at reaching his goals.
Success with QPR led to a Premier League breakthrough, joining Crystal Palace from the R’s in 2020 in a deal worth around £17million.
Eze quickly established himself as a fan-favourite at Selhurst Park and soon became one of the club’s most-important players.
He has since made over 165 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 40 times and registering 28 assists.
While he put the cherry on top of his time in South London by scoring the winning goal as Palace beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final in May.
Another stellar campaign meant he started attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham.
HOMECOMING
Arsenal came knocking first this summer as Arteta lined up Eze as a potential difference-maker in their hopes to finally go one better than second place.
But after heavy spending on the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal’s interest appeared to cool.
That gave their fiercest rivals Spurs a free run at Eze, or so they thought.
After weeks of negotiations Tottenham had agreed a fee with Palace and personal terms with Eze, it looked for all the world that the boyhood Arsenal fan would be switching allegiances for the next step in his career.
That was until Kai Havertz’s unfortunate injury meant Arsenal were forced back into the market at the eleventh hour, revisiting Eze’s camp and immediately turning his head.
Eze’s history with Arsenal, coupled with their comparative status in the league at the moment, meant he couldn’t help but opt for an Emirates switch.
Within hours news had spread that he had already agreed personal terms and Arteta’s transfer team had struck a deal with Palace in excess of £60m.
What took Spurs weeks had taken Arsenal just a day.
Eze’s decision only endears him even more to the Arsenal fans, who have already honoured their incoming transfer with a mural on a wall next to the Emirates Stadium – before Eze has even put pen to paper.
In fact, Eze is still expected to play for Palace this evening in their Conference League qualifier against Norwegian side Fredrikstad when the Eagles play their first ever major European game at Selhurst Park – a fitting occasion for a goodbye.
Eze will leave Palace as a club legend, having won them their first ever major trophy last season, but he joins Arsenal as a hero already, thanks to his love for the club and his part in giving the fans another reason to get one over their North London neighbours.
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