Arsenal are interested in signing Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze this summer.
The Gunners are eager to add additional creativity to their ranks to ease the burden on the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
Andrea Berta has identified Eze as an option, and Arsenal Insider have revealed that the North London club have enquired about his availability.
With that said, here are four Arsenal players who would be impacted by the signing of Eze.
Martin Odegaard
Odegaard struggled at times last season, as he was burdened with being the sole creative force in Mikel Arteta’s team, particularly while Saka was absent through injury.
The Norwegian looked overplayed and overworked, not being able to produce his typically majestic quality in the final third.
Eze would alleviate this pressure, with the England international capable of creating through dribbling, ball carrying and taking shots.
This would give the opposition a different problem to worry about in certain matches against low blocks, creating more space for Odegaard to operate in, whilst also allowing the Arsenal captain to rest occasionally.
Kai Havertz
While he has his critics, Kai Havertz’s off-the-ball movement is generally excellent, and the more chances he’s presented with, the more likely he is to deliver the volume of goals that will satisfy fans.
Eze has the ability to unlock more from Havertz by creating space for the German to run into by taking men with him by dribbling in central and wide areas.
The Palace man also likes to let fly from distance, taking 3.48 shots per 90 minutes last season, and the chaos that this creates will give the former Chelsea man opportunities to pounce inside the box.
The arrival of Eze would also likely reduce the likelihood of Havertz playing as a left eight again, which generally hasn’t suited him.
Ethan Nwaneri
Many would argue that if you want to alleviate the pressure on Odegaard, then you should play Ethan Nwaneri more frequently, rather than dipping into the market and spending big on a shiny new toy.
Nwaneri boasts similar attributes to Eze in that he’s a good ball carrier centrally and is good at getting powerful shots off from in and around the box.
The youngster is also arguably a better analogue to Odegaard, given he operates on the right-hand side of the pitch rather than the left, and could be plugged in more easily in the skipper’s absence.
Eze arriving could limit Nwaneri’s minutes further and therefore stunt the Hale End graduate’s development.
Leandro Trossard
The reports suggest Arsenal primarily see Eze as a left wing option, rather than an attacking midfield candidate.
Thus, his arrival would surely mean that one of Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli is surplus to requirements.
Martinelli would be the smarter player to keep from a squad-building point of view, given he has the ability to run in behind that neither Eze nor Trossard possesses, and this is a skill the Gunners would surely like to have in their squad.
Saudi Pro-League clubs are interested in Trossard, which could make the Belgian vulnerable to a departure if Eze moves to N5.
