Arsenal still exploring deal as Crystal Palace stance holds firm | OneFootball

Arsenal Keep Eyes on Eze Despite Nwaneri Breakthrough

Interest Remains Despite Internal Progress

Ethan Nwaneri’s new deal at Arsenal has been received as a symbolic gesture of long-term planning, yet it has done little to cool the club’s interest in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.

According to The Athletic, “Arsenal retain an interest in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.” There is recognition at London Colney that his talent belongs in elite company. Eze, who “has many admirers at Arsenal,” also “would be keen to move to north London.”

Photo: IMAGO

Price Still a Puzzle

The existence of a release clause, reportedly “worth in excess of £60m,” ought to make this a clean transaction. But football finances rarely favour efficiency. As the article notes, “Arsenal have had reservations about paying the full clause for a player who turned 27 last month.”

If Palace were to blink and lower that valuation, “Arsenal would be keen to proceed.” For now, the window remains propped open by possibility rather than action.

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This report feels like the promise of fire in dry grass. Eze has always had that irresistible blend of improvisation and control, the kind of player who makes opponents doubt their own decisions.

That he is still on Arsenal’s radar, despite Nwaneri’s renewal, is both pragmatic and ambitious. Youth development is not a substitute for elite reinforcement. In fact, pairing someone like Eze with Saka, Ødegaard and Rice elevates the whole operation.

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The £60m clause might give the board pause, but so did £105m for Rice, and that gamble paid off. Eze at 27 brings immediacy. He understands the Premier League terrain, he plays with maturity, and most importantly, he wants the move. That cannot be overstated in a market full of posturing and agents bluffing for leverage.

We have seen Arteta’s system blossom with technicians. Eze offers more than that. He plays with theatre, and Arsenal, for all their tactical rigour, could use a bit more of that spark.