The Eze Life

The day has finally arrived. What has felt like a whole summer of courting, we finally got our man. Although, for a second it looked as though he'd fallen into the arms of another.

Eberechi Eze.

The former Arsenal schoolboy has returned a man. The club that he held close to his heart all these years while lighting up the Premier League with Crystal Palace. Giving them moments they'll cherish forever. Now has come the time for Eze to make new memories and forge a legacy for himself at the club where it all began.

So, what will Eze actually bring to the team? The boring answer is flair, technical ability and an eye for goal. But, to sum up Eze goes beyond words. His ability will raise the players around him who are already exceptionally gifted. He's the guy that you looked at when playing Sunday league football and thought, 'thank god he's on our team'. Not always the one with the goal or the assist, but the one who just elevates any attacking move. Even still, he finished the last campaign with 25 goals/assists across 43 games.

Arsenal have been blessed with attacking talent across the front line this summer, thanks to the good work from Andrea Berta. But, with so much depth it can cause a headache for Arteta who wants to fit everyone in somewhere. Martin Odegaard will be seen as one of the undroppable players, along with Bukayo Saka. That will leave the left wing role wide open for someone to claim. Gabriel Martinelli has struggled for form and Leandro Trossard isn't the starting left winger we need, so Eze will likely play on the left of the attack. He played more centrally for Palace, but he'll be effective anywhere around the box.

Looking at the graphic above, this is how I see Arsenal setting themselves up when in the opponents final third. When trying to break that low block down, this is how they'll shape up to try and penetrate the defensive garrisons. As you can see, I've put Eze closer to Gyokeres than I would Martinelli as I do believe Eze will thrive more when closer to the box, not starting from the sideline and working inwards.

As always you'll have Gabriel and William Saliba sweeping up. Martin Zubimendi will be the metronome player that you can rely on. Declan Rice will make late box darts, but mainly prevent counter attacks. Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber will rotate between who ventures forward and who doesn't. Martin Odegaard will try and receive between the lines to link Gyokeres to the rest of the team. Bukayo Saka is our sideline attacker, the one who creates width and attacks the box. Viktor Gyokeres is the man in the middle waiting for the time to pounce and finally Eze is the one that will create a box presence and sustain dangerous attacks. If it all clicks together then we have the makings of an extremely potent team.

In my personal opinion, I think the Eze signing is what might tip us over the edge to finally getting our hands on silverware. Whether that's the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup or Carabao Cup. The depth we now have in every position is so welcoming considering how and why it all collapsed last season. More firepower to turn those pesky draws into wins.

All that's left to say is good luck to Eberechi Eze, we all know you'll smash it and give us memories that will last a lifetime.