Eze hijack: Arsenal gazumps arch-rival Spurs at the elventh hour

Arsenal has inked a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, with the shock eleventh-hour move gazumping arch-rivals Tottenham, who thought they already had their man – to the degree that they’d already been preparing media shoots.

The stunning hijack will cost Arsenal, who need a winger after Kai Havertz was injured, as much as £68 million; what Eze’s release clause had been before it expired last Friday.

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Eze appeared happy to go to Tottenham as long as Arsenal wasn’t interested, but as soon as the Gunners came onto the scene – even considering how late they re-emerged in talks – there was no real doubt what he wanted. The 27-year-old was a boyhood Arsenal fan and even played for the London club’s academy when he was young.

The Palace winger will make one final appearance in red and blue, facing Fredrikstad in the Conference League play-off match scheduled for Thursday, before he undergoes a formal medical at Arsenal’s facilities in north London.

He will be available for Arsenal as soon as Sunday, though it’s unlikely he plays then.

It’s a good bit of business for both Arsenal and Crystal Palace, especially because of the as-noted Havertz injury. Eze joins a raft of new Arsenal attackers, too, after Mikel Arteta brought in Noni Madueke (wing) and Viktor Gyokeres (striker), as well as several midfielder pickups, including Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard.

The 2024/25 runners-up’s defence has similarly been bolstered; out-of-favour Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera have both joined the squad after £5 million and £13 million deals, respectively.

For Palace, the £68M will go a long way. They are looking to sign Leicester’s Bilal El Khannouss.

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For Tottenham, however, it’s a brutal snub. The Spurs had expected to use him as a perfect Heung-min Son replacement, and very much needed the attacking threats Eze brings after James Maddison was injured long-term.

With Eze now out of their reach, reports are emerging that they will turn their attention to Brentford’s Yoane Wissa. While the move doesn’t make complete sense on paper, with Richarlison and Dominic Solanke both able to play nine, Thomas Frank did work with the French forward and would likely see him as a reliable upgrade in the 25/26 squad.

The biggest problem is Newcastle want him too; they just submitted a new £40M bid for him.