Eberechi Eze, who cost the Gunners £60 million plus a potential £7.5 million in add-ons, made his Premier League debut under Mikel Arteta’s management in a 3-0 victory over Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon – and fans of the capital club are all saying the same thing about the 27-year-old talisman.
Saturday’s game was a very straightforward afternoon for the north Londoners, with Martin Zubimendi opening the scoring with his first outside-the-box goal in the Premier League, followed by Viktor Gyokeres’ second goal for the Gunners. Zubimendi’s header at the back post increased the score 3-0 in the 79th minute.
Arteta’s men, who had finished barely behind the winners in three consecutive Premier League seasons, spent the summer scanning the transfer market for those who could make a difference. Goalscorers Gyokeres and Zubimendi, as well as Eze, have signed on. And the Englishman’s first start in red, following a 20-minute cameo in their 1-0 loss to Liverpool, has sparked speculation.
Watch the highlights of Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest below:
Eze’s 79-Minute Performance in Arsenal 3-0 Forest Excites Fans
It hasn’t taken long for London-born Eze to win over the Emirates Stadium crowd, has it? After investing a huge number of money on his services this summer, everyone knew what he was about: he’s one of the league’s most promising players. Some may argue that Eze is a dying art, but he is a player who can capture the imagination of his supporters and raise them off their seats.
Whether it’s on the left side or from a more central core, Eze demonstrated – particularly during his 169-game time at Selhurst Park – that he can take games by the scruff of the neck.
That wasn’t required against Postecoglou’s players in the Saturday lunchtime match, but his 79-minute performance has piqued the interest of supporters. With 11 minutes remaining in regulation time, the Queens Park Rangers academy graduate was replaced by Leandro Trossard; however, Eze had already demonstrated why Arsenal hijacked Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of the offensive midfielder.
Eze became the first Englishman to score or assist in their first Premier League appearance for Arsenal since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did so against Manchester United in 2012. He had 41 touches of the ball, three successful dribble attempts, and an 83% (20/24) pass accuracy on Arsenal’s left-hand side.
Fans are excited about what Eze, who is largely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in the Premier League right now, will provide as they attempt to win silverware under Arteta and Co this season, and believe he is a clear upgrade on Brazil international Gabriel Martinelli. On X (previously Twitter), one user said, “Going from Martinelli to Eze must be the same level of upgrading as going from Holding to Saliba.
Eberechi Eze’s stats during Arsenal 3-0 Forest
Minutes
79
Touches
41
Goals/Assists
0/1
Shots
2
Dribble Attempts (%)
3/6 (50%)
Accurate passes (percentage
20/24 (83%)
Key passes.
1
Big opportunities created.
1
Overall Rating
8.1
Another, after seeing Eze flaunt his thing alongside Gyokeres and fellow summer signing Noni Madueke against Forest, argued that only Trossard can contend for the left-wing spot in north London. Martinelli, who played 12 minutes this weekend, is reportedly farther down the pecking order. They wrote this:
“Upgrading from Martinelli to Eze is something else. Trossard is the only guy who competes with Eze for that LW. Both Eze and Trossard can provide similar defensive contributions as Martinelli.”
“Eze LW, this must be how people felt seeing TV in colour for the first time,” one joked, while another labeled the switch from Eze to Martinelli as ‘insanity’ because to the talent gap. “My god this upgrade from Martinelli to Eze is insanity.” A last fan stated, “Eze is such a massive upgrade on Martinelli.”
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