Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace last transfer window, but along with him came a puzzle for Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners were in need of a big signing to show that they’re done just contending for titles and want to actually win them.
Eberechi Eze sparked interest from a lot of different teams but ended up at the Emirates. An incredibly skillful and creative midfielder that embraces the left side and loves to cut inside. But also a different prototype compared to Mikel Arteta’s usual wingers that hug the touchline and provide width.
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This means that, in order for the Eze fit at Arsenal to work perfectly, something has to change. What is it going to be?
Can Eberechi Eze play as a left-winger?
Eze burst onto the scene as a left-attacking midfielder for QPR in the Championship back in 2018. He continued his development in the same position at Crystal Palace and that’s what got him to Arsenal.
However, both of the Gunners’ options for the left side have the same role. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard usually stay out wide – though they have had occupied central corridors a bit more this year. Just nowhere near as often as Eze in his best self.
At the same time, limiting Eze to the touchline for occasional touches wouldn’t be the best way to take advantage of his strengths. He excels with freedom to roam from the left and involving himself as much as possible.
The 27-year-old averaged considerably more touches per 90 minutes last season in the Premier League than both Arsenal wingers. While that is expected due to the positions, we also have to consider the fact that Martinelli and Trossard played for a team that dominated possession while Eze was in a more reactive, counter attacking context.
He’s also not so much of a final third kind of player as much as he is a second-phase creator. The most recent England game actually showed that he struggles in a “play finisher” role.
Thomas Tuchel deployed him as a right-attacking midfielder that stood between the lines waiting for passes. Most of his involvements were with his back to the goal and having the final touch. While all three of his shot attempts hit the target, he could’ve placed each one a lot better.
Eze spent around three minutes as a left winger after Tuchel’s first three substitutions, but quickly switched with Anthony Gordon. There was also little opportunity and time for him to have any sort of impact there.
Can Arteta adapt?
Arteta probably knows that Eze is not the type of player he can plug in the left wing, maintain the exact same structure he’s created at Arsenal and expect it will suit both parties equally well. But he’s actually more adaptable than given credit for, so he may adapt.
Luckily for the Spaniard, he has a few options – but all of them come with consequences. There is a world in which Eze just takes Martinelli’s place and causes changes elsewhere in the starting XI. Maybe the players will be the same, but with different roles.
All of the Gunners’ left-backs either become centre-midfielders in possession (Myles Lewis-Skelly) or just don’t go all the way to the byline (Riccardo Calafiori). Eze on the left as his normal self would require one of them – or someone else – to fill in the wide spaces.
Another option would be to drop Martin Odegaard, which is highly unlikely. Eze would then become a number 10 with the same tendencies as the Norwegian, but instead of operating more on the right, would favour going to the left.
Arteta could also field both Eze and Odegaard as wide attacking midfielders and just remove all wingers, at least while Bukayo Saka is out. A 4-3-2-1 “Christmas tree” sort of shape with the duo would inject a lot of creativity for Arsenal, but still leave the need for width somewhere else.
Maybe even a 4-3-3 to 3-2-4-1 variation in circumstancial scenarios (need to score or just a game in which they’re expected to dominate completetely). But that might be going too far right now.
Adaptation for both sides
Unfortunately for Eze, he joined a team with a very rigid and set in-game structure with basically no complementary options to his skillset on the left.
Lewis-Skelly is a centre-midfielder-turned-left-back, while Calafiori and Hincapie are both centre-backs originally. All the width the Gunners have for the left side lies in the wingers, Martinelli and Trossard.
So it’s hard to imagine Eze coming in and doing what he did best for Crystal Palace in a team like Arsenal with little to no changes.
Feels like it’s going to end up with Arteta forcing him to the system initially to see if it works. And to be clear, it absolutely could. Eze is a very good and skillful player who can add a lot even in limited roles. It just might lead to them not getting the full ‘Eze experience’.
Maybe this signing will also change Arsenal’s recruitment plans for the next transfer windows. They could use a more balanced squad in terms of alternatives for both sides, on defence and also attack. But how Arteta uses Eze is an interesting story worth keeping an eye on.