Eberechi Eze has returned home after putting pen to paper on a long-term deal to become our seventh summer signing, ending a 14-year journey back to north London where his footballing story began.
The England international joins us from Crystal Palace, where he scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final last season to immortalise himself south of the river.
As the winger crosses the capital to start a new chapter, here are 10 essential facts you need to know about our new number 10!
Jumpers for goalposts
Born in Greenwich, Ebere honed his football skills playing on the caged pitches where he lived. Avoiding the car park on one side and dogs on the other, it was the place our new no.10 developed his talent.
Such is his love for his beginnings, the England international even dedicated a pair of boots to his hometown. He told GQ: “That’s home. That’s where I’ve been raised, and where I’ve grown into a man.
“I’ve seen so many things and learned so much along the way, and I’m blessed to have lived in a place that has helped shape me into the person I am today.”
Never giving up
In 2006, Ebere, a boyhood Arsenal fan from a family of Gooners, joined our academy setup. The midfielder would be in our system until he was 13 years old.
Following his stint with us, he would also go on to play at Fulham and Millwall, as well as having trials at Bristol City and Sunderland. Despite not making it at any of those sides, he kept believing.
He told VERSUS: “My trust and faith in God and the gift that you’ve given me, I just allowed it to fuel me and fill me up, which was important.
“It doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult. It’s still difficult to get through those times. I remember thinking: ‘why is this so hard? But the love for football never, never changed.”
Football League breakthrough
As he was preparing to enrol in college and start working part-time at Tesco, Ebere was handed another shot by Queen’s Park Rangers in August 2016, where he would eventually turn pro.
Following an impressive loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers, in which he netted five times in 20 games, the winger then became a regular at QPR, scoring his first goal in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in March 2018.
He would continue to flourish, scoring 14 goals and creating eight assists in 2019/20, earning him the club’s Player and Players’ Player of the year awards.
Palace prominence
Having starred in the second tier, Ebere was given the chance to at the highest level when Crystal Palace spent £17 million to bring him to Selhurst Park. He really hit form following the reappointment of Roy Hodgson in the 2022/23 season, and finished as the club’s top scorer on 10 goals.
His goal output would continue to increase across his next two campaigns with the club, and he departs sitting fourth in their all-time top Premier League scorers charts with 34 strikes to his name.
Ebere x England
Ebere’s displays in the top-flight caught the attention of England manager at the time, Gareth Southgate. He received his first call-up as part of the provisional squad for Euro 2020, however it arrived moments after he ruptured an Achilles during training and had to withdraw.
It would take another two years before Ebere would be called up to the senior squad again, and he finally made his debut in a 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Malta. He was selected for Euro 2024 where he made three appearances, and currently has 11 caps, scoring his first international goal back in March against Latvia at Wembley.
Wembley hero
However, he was to have many more happy memories at the national stadium in the months to come. In 2024/25, Ebere was a key cog in Crystal Palace’s FA Cup run, scoring the only goal of the game to see them squeeze past Stockport County in round three, and he netted again in the quarter-final against Fulham.
Aston Villa were their semi-final opponents at Wembley and the winger opened the scoring with a stunning strike as the Eagles won 3-0 to reach their third final, where Manchester City lay in wait. Under the famous arch, Ebere slammed home the only goal of the game to give Palace their first major trophy, and ensure his place in Eagles history forever.
He then helped the Eagles add more silverware to the cabinet when they clinched the Community Shield against Liverpool at the start of the month.
King to N5
Much like one of our other new signings this summer, Martin Zubimendi, Ebere is a keen chess player.
After being taught by former teammate Michael Olise, Ebere turned to YouTube to hone his skills. His dedication helped him win PogChamps 6, an online amateur chess tournament.
He was even spotted playing with British business magnate Richard Branson this summer.
Giving Back
Outside of the football pitch, in 2023 Ebere started the Eze Foundation with his brothers, Kechi and Chima, allowing them to give back to the local community.
Ebere has hosted the Eze Invitational Grassroots Football Tournament every year since 2023 at the John Roan School playing fields in south London, where he and his brothers played together.
On his foundation, he told the Crystal Palace website: “Giving back has always been something that’s on our hearts.
“We want to expose them [young people playing in the Invitational] to football and to being at a professional club and not having to pay for anything, no stumbling blocks along the way that are stopping you from playing football, which is normally the case when you’re young or when you’re coming from difficult areas.”
The Wright Path
Ebere isn’t the first player to join us from Crystal Palace, with Eddie McGoldrick joining in 1993/94, and club legend Ian Wright in 1991.
Wright was 27 years old, the same age as Ebere is now, when he made the switch from Selhurst Park to Highbury for a then-record club fee. He would go on to net185 times in our colours, making him our all-time record scorer at the time, before being surpassed by Thierry Henry in October 2005.
Wrighty and Ebere are good friends, with Ebere donning a throwback Palace shirt from his pal’s time at Selhurst Park during Palace’s FA Cup celebrations.
Celebrity Connection
Ebere isn’t the only big name within his family. In 2023, it was revealed that Ego Nwodim, a cast member of the US comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2018, is Eze’s cousin.
Following Ebere’s success in the FA Cup final, Nwodim donned a Crystal Palace jersey with Eze’s name on the back during the show’s closing credits to honour her cousin’s Wembley heroics.
