Arsenal completed an unreal transfer hijack as they pipped north London rivals Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze.
Spurs had cooled their interest in the Crystal Palace star earlier in the summer but returned for Eze after James Maddison suffered a season-ending ACL injury at the start of August. In that time, Arsenal, who were the frontrunners for the 27-year-old, opted to step away from any potential deal for the attacker.
However, confirmation that Kai Havertz had sustained a knee injury on Wednesday prompted Arsenal to dip back into the market for Eze and they are close to confirming his arrival from Palace having been given the ‘Here We Go!’ treatment from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed, though, that Eze will start for the south London side when they take on Fredrikstad in their UEFA Conference League playoff on Thursday night.
“Many of you were surprised [Eze] and Marc [Guehi] started against Chelsea, most of you will be surprised that they will start again tomorrow,” the Austrian is quoted as saying by The Standard.
“They are committed to the team. The player gives 100% because he is under contract. We don’t have to say thank you every day, he is getting a few pounds every week.”
That has heightened worries that Eze would therefore be cup tied for Arsenal’s Champions League campaign with the former QPR man tipped to make his European debut in what is expected to be his final Palace appearance.
Fear not though Arsenal fans as Eze will be fine to take part in Europe’s elite club competition this season.
UEFA regulations allow for a player to represent more than one club per season in their competitions, but only under certain stipulations. A player who represents a team in a playoff or qualifying for any of UEFA’s top three competitions – Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League – can then represent a different side from the league phase of another competition.
As Palace’s meeting with Fredrikstad on Thursday night is a playoff, he is therefore free to represent Arsenal in the league phase of the Champions League.
The Gunners have already progressed to the league stage of Europe’s elite competition having finished second in the Premier League, meaning they’ll have no issues registering Eze for the Champions League next month.
Eze is set to be the latest in a long line of new additions at the Emirates, with Arsenal busy in the market as they look to end a lengthy wait for the Premier League title.
The Gunners have added Kepa, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke to the squad already this summer.
An Arsenal player could potentially be used as a ‘make weight’ to get a deal for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze over the line.
Eze, 27, has been the subject of interest from north London rivals Arsenal and Spurs throughout the summer.
As reported by The Standard, the Crystal Palace man’s £68m buyout clause expired on Friday, just two days before the Eagles’ Premier League opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Also on Friday, journalist Fabrizio Romano issued an update on the situation in his GiveMeSport newsletter.
“Eze is keen on a Spurs move, for sure,” Romano wrote. “The deal depends on the two clubs now, who remain in direct talks.”
The Gunners also remain in the race to sign the playmaker, who is contracted to Palace until the summer of 2028, and they could even be prepared to use one of their own players as part of a potential swap deal which would also involve a fee.
Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior is of interest to several Premier League clubs, including Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace as well as Serie A giants AC Milan.
The Eagles may look to strengthen their defence as captain Marc Guehi continues to be linked with Liverpool.
It is feasible that Kiwior could be used as part of a player-plus-cash deal for the Gunners to get a potential move involving Eze over the line.
However, the report also claims that Arsenal are prepared to offer the Polish defender a new deal to keep him at the club, as head coach Mikel Arteta sees him as a versatile player with important assets.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain back in May, the Gunners boss described Kiwior as “exceptional” after he filled in for the injured Gabriel towards the end of last season.
“He [Kiwior] deserves a lot of credit because he hasn’t played too much throughout many months and suddenly he has been thrown into the most difficult context,” Arteta said.
“At the highest level, playing against the best opponents when you haven’t had the physical rhythm or the confidence to do it, and I think he’s been exceptional.”
On Saturday, The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Palace have “approached” Leicester City to explore a potential move for 21-year-old attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.
The Moroccan, who joined Leicester from Belgian side Genk last summer, made 37 appearances for the Foxes during their 2024/25 relegation campaign and is being considered by several clubs, including Palace. A deal may depend on Eze’s situation but El Khannouss could used to fill the potential void left by the England international’s likely exit.
