Michael Olise knows Eberechi Eze more than most on the pitch, which makes his latest declaration about his former teammate all the more surprising.
Eze has been struggling at Arsenal, which is so frustrating given how mesmerising the Englishman was over the years at Crystal Palace.
Mikel Arteta’s role in Eze’s difficulty adapting to Arsenal is clear for all to see, as after years of creative freedom at Palace, the shackles are on to improve the 27-year-old’s tactical discipline.
For fans, there’s hope that the Eze we saw at Palace will return in some capacity, as when the playmaker was combining with Michael Olise, there were few duos more exciting to watch in the Premier League.
Though it’s Eze who is now a Gunner, Olise has admirers within the Arsenal squad.
William Saliba described Olise as a player who brings ‘a bit of madness’ to both Bayern Munich and the France squad, being a thrilling winger to watch.
There’s no surprise that Olise leaves the opposition wary, given that he’s the fourth-best dribbler in the Bundesliga, as per Sofascore.
The numbers only make the winger’s latest claim about Eze all the more fascinating, as he told FC Bayern’s esports account on Instagram that the Arsenal star is a better dribbler than him.
When asked to ‘stay silent until you hear a better dribbler than yourself’, Olise spoke when Eze’s name was mentioned.
After some thought, the Bayern Munich forward said, “I think, maybe Eze.”
It was huge praise from one of the best 1v1 players in the world to single out Eze’s dribbling ability, but Arsenal just aren’t seeing it.
Eze’s profile does not thrive upon being utilised for systematic football.
At first, it was a concern, but now, it’s playing out in real life, as the numbers show a worrying decline in his averages in the Premier League after leaving Palace to join Arsenal.
It’s no surprise that Olise praised Eze’s dribbling, as he was averaging similar numbers to his former teammate last season in the league, but this year, the number has fallen dramatically.
Eze is even struggling creatively, something very few would’ve anticipated when he left Palace to join Arteta’s project at Arsenal.
Work needs to be done to get the best out of the £64m signing, as when at his best, he’s better than the rest.
