Inside Eberechi Eze's mission to make up for lost time at Arsenal

Special report: He cried when he was released by Arsenal aged 13 - but is now back and eager to help them with the title

It was a moment he had been dreaming about for 14 years since Arsenal released him from their academy aged 13.

The boyhood Arsenal fan spent a week crying in his bedroom after that rejection and his mum prayed that one day he would return.

Eze never gave up hope of one day pulling on an Arsenal shirt but few could have imagined a comeback like this.

At the start of last week, Eze seemed destined for Tottenham. By the end of it, he was being paraded in front of 60,000 fans at the Emirates after Arsenal swooped to sign him from under the noses of their north London rivals in a £67.5million deal from Crystal Palace .

Eze joined Arsenal in a £67.5m deal from Crystal Palace

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They say good things come to those who wait. Now Eze is on a mission to make up for lost time as he prepares to make his Arsenal debut in their crunch clash at title rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

“I remember the day I got released, my mum said a prayer that this reverse would happen. For me, this is a realisation of a dream that we prayed for,” said Eze.

“I thought about coming back from the moment I understood what it meant to become a pro. I’ve always thought: ‘Arsenal is where it’s at, that’s what I want to achieve, what I want to get to.’ “I’ve been on trial for four years, if I’m being honest. Every time I came to Arsenal, I looked at the seat that I used to sit on when I used to come to games with my brothers, and I’ve said every single time: ‘This is it - it’s time, this is an opportunity.’ I’m not going to say I knew it was going to happen, but that’s the feeling.”

After a whirlwind few days, Eze tried to soak it all in as he stood on the pitch before Arsenal thrashed Leeds 5-0 to continue their good start to the new season.

Even on his car journey to the Emirates, Eze was still waiting for official confirmation that his transfer from Palace had gone through.

Arsenal worked hard on Saturday morning to get all the paperwork finalised in time so they could unveil their new signing before their evening kick-off against Leeds.

At around 4pm, the deal was completed. Just over an hour later, Eze was being serenaded by Arsenal fans.

The emotion behind this transfer deal is what makes it so special for Eze and Arsenal . Eze actually rang Mikel Arteta last week, wary of committing to Spurs when he wanted Arsenal .

Now, after being given the No10 shirt, Eze is determined to help the Gunners end their long wait to win the Premier League after three consecutive second-placed finishes.

Eze has signed a four-year contract at Arsenal with the option of a further year

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Arsenal believe his creativity will add another dimension to their attack, with the recruitment team impressed by his ability to spot openings and passes many other players cannot see.

“I just want to win,” said Eze, who scored the winner for Palace in last season’s FA Cup final. “I want to win whatever’s there. I’ve got a taste for it now, and to contribute, to give whatever to help the team win. I’m on it. That’s my mentality.”

A frequent phrase used by Arteta in recent years has been the need for Arsenal to produce more “magic moments” in games.

When his side crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern Munich two years ago, he lamented the absence of a player with an X-factor - and repeated the point last season. Even after a 2-0 win over Manchester United in December, when both goals came from set-pieces, Arteta insisted he was still searching for more.

He warned that players can become “predictable” and argued that the ability to decide a game with a flash of brilliance can strike fear into opponents.

Arsenal believe they have found their game-changer in Eze, and few players can rival the 27-year-old when it comes to creativity.

The ability to conjure something from nothing is ingrained in his style, a quality that sets him apart in an era increasingly defined by structure and system.

Eze has trained with the Arsenal squad for the first time this week

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Under Arteta, Arsenal have become incredibly well-drilled, but there is an argument that they could benefit from a maverick presence like Eze.

“Why do I run with the ball? Why do I try things? Why am I creative? Why do I do things that maybe players wouldn’t think to do? The reason is for the people who are watching,” Eze said earlier this year.

“It’s what you’re doing to people in the stands and how you can get people on their feet; that’s what football’s about. It feels like football is starting to shift a bit, and there’s maybe not as much of that, but that’s all I want to do.”

The statistics back up those words. Data from Opta shows that last season Eze completed more dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League than any other Arsenal player.

He also created 40 chances when carrying the ball five metres or more, and, again, this tally was higher than any other player in Arsenal’s squad.

“I think he has the capacity to create these magic moments,” says Arteta. “He can do it from different positions, different situations. He’s got that flair, he’s got that charisma as well about him that is very contagious.”

Eze arrives at Arsenal entering his peak years and off the back of his best-ever season in terms of attacking output.

He scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions for Palace, and also showed he was a man for the big moments.

Eze scored in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the FA Cup before scoring the winner against Manchester City in the final at Wembley.

After firing Palace to glory, Arsenal will be hoping he does the same for them.

A key aim for Arsenal this summer was to provide Arteta with more options in attack.

During Arteta’s first five and a half years at Arsenal , the club only spent around £140m on forwards and most of their transfer budget was dedicated to bolstering the defence.

Eze could make his Arsenal debut against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday

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But this summer the plan was different, and the Gunners have spent around £180m to bring in Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres.

“In every position now, we have a different quality,” Arteta has said. “A lot of players who can play in various positions as well, with a lot of versatility, bringing different kinds of qualities and threats to the team. At any moment we can change the puzzle and make it very difficult for the opposition.”

The big question is where does Eze fit into Arsenal’s attacking jigsaw?

Out on the left flank is the most likely place for Eze to break into the team, as that has been a problem position for Arsenal over the past 18 months.

Both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have struggled for form, with Madueke’s arrival providing fresh competition.

Eze will intensify that competition and, while he thrived last season as one of two No10s for Palace in a 3-4-2-1 formation, he has experience of playing as a left winger.

“There were talks about my position [before I signed],” said Eze. “But as long as I’m on the pitch and given the opportunity to play and express myself in that environment, then it doesn’t matter where I’m playing. Of course, the manager has ideas and things that he wants, but for me, I’m free.”

Arsenal identified Eze as a player who can play on the left or right flank, and centrally, with versatility a trait Arteta values highly.

Partnering Eze with Martin Odegaard in midfield is something that Arteta may look to experiment with in certain games.

He has traditionally liked to partner Odegaard with a more combative No8 such as Declan Rice or Mikel Merino.But Eze could prove to be a valuable option as a left-sided No8 in games where Arsenal are dominating possession against opposition set up in a low block.

Breaking down teams that sit deep has been a recurring problem for Arteta’s side, and having two playmakers on the pitch in Eze and Odegaard should help.

Mikel Arteta hopes Eze can give Arsenal an X-factor

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Some have raised concerns about Eze’s work off the ball if playing centrally, but he has improved that part of his game at Palace under Oliver Glasner.

He won 157 ground duels in the Premier League last season - 13 more than anyone in the Arsenal squad managed.

In fact, Eze ranked 21st in the Premier League when it came to ground duels won. It is a similar story when it comes to possessions won, with Rice and William Saliba the only Arsenal players to better Eze’s tally of 146.

Eze is set to get a chance to announce himself as an Arsenal player against Liverpool on Sunday.

Anfield has proved an unhappy hunting ground for Arsenal in recent years and they have not won there for 13 years since Arteta was playing in midfield for them.

Eze would love to help Arsenal end that winless run, and a victory would be a huge statement from the Gunners about their title aspirations this season.

Liverpool finished 10 points clear of Arsenal last season and have spent nearly £300m on six new signings this summer including Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.

Eze will wear the No10 shirt at Arsenal

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Arne Slot’s side look a real threat going forward and could become even more dangerous if they complete a late move for Alexander Isak before the transfer window closes.

But defensively they have looked shaky in their opening two Premier League matches and needed a 100th-minute winner from 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha to beat 10-man Newcastle 3-2 at St James’ Park on Monday.

Eze knows all about that vulnerability, as he was part of the Palace side that beat Liverpool to win the Community Shield three weeks ago.

Palace got joy on the counter-attack, and it has been a similar story for opposition teams against Liverpool in their first two Premier League games.

Against Bournemouth and Newcastle, Slot’s side threw away two-goal leads before scoring late winners.

That will give Arsenal hope ahead of their trip to Anfield, even if they could be without Bukayo Saka and Odegaard due to injury.

Arsenal’s style this season has shifted to a more direct approach at times, which should help them target the Liverpool defence.

It also plays into the hands of new £64m striker Gyokeres, who is off the mark after scoring twice against Leeds.

Giving Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield in May was a painful experience for the Arsenal squad.

But Arteta wants his players to use the memories of that day as fuel going forward, as he prepares to unleash Eze following his emotional return to north London.