When Arsenal exec Tim Lewis called Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish late on Wednesday afternoon to tell him that his club would meet the asking price for Eberechi Eze, he did so safe in the knowledge that with those words the deal was effectively done.
That with one sentence Tottenham – who had agreed terms with the gifted playmaker – would be instantly blasted out of the water. That in this particular North London battle it would be game over in the space of mere seconds.
The reality is that it this was more a surprise attack from the Gunners in what would never be a fair fight – and the real reason for that was not Daniel Levy’s negotiating techniques but the story of a 13-year-old who took to his bedroom and cried for a week.
In 2006, at the age of eight, Eze swapped the South London cages for Arsenal’s academy when he was spotted by a club scout. To the youngster, it was a match made in heaven. Arsenal were his team. Arsene Wenger was still the manager and Thierry Henry, his favourite player, was still enthralling at the Emirates.
When Eze got his first kit, it was the red and white classic with the O2 logo his hero wore. It even had the same long sleeves favoured by the brilliant Frenchman. Indeed, it meant so much to the boy that his parents still have it close to two decades later.
But this is football and fairytales are rare. Five years later, Eze was told he was being released by the academy manager (who may now have 68 million regrets). The reason given was that his defensive work-rate was not what it should be. Eze retreated to his bedroom, where the tears flowed.
‘Wearing the same shirt as Henry, my guy, was perfect,’ he recalled in a recent interview with Men in Blazers network. ‘But then when I got released it was tough. All of my friends were still there getting contracts and I was one of two or three they let go. It’s part of your identity. I was “the guy who plays for Arsenal” and to not have that anymore was a huge shake up for sure.’
Despite his tender years, Eze always believed he had unfinished business. It was a long road back, which included further setbacks at Fulham (where he was in tears again when he had to shake the hand of the man who let him go after a game against Arsenal), Reading and Millwall before Queen’s Park Rangers intervened. But it was always Arsenal – and his was a story that did not go unnoticed among those currently calling the shots at the Emirates.
Last month, manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta met the player. They told him of their interest and sold him – as if they needed to – on the redemption story they would help him create. They said that they were well aware of his past with Arsenal and that they hoped to give him the opportunity to create a new ending.
Around that time Lewis contacted Parish and asked to be kept informed of the situation with the player and to let him know if anyone else came calling. Parish agreed to do so.
Eze was delighted, but as the weeks passed, that call never came. The key reason was the situation with Ethan Nwaneri, the teenage sensation and England Under 21 star who Arsenal feared may depart, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea circling.
Eze was seen as the first option should the Nwaneri situation play out as they feared. But as things transpired Nwaneri agreed a new five-year contract and the need simply dissipated. ‘It went from 95 per cent certain on Eze to five per cent,’ said one insider with knowledge of the situation.
But on Sunday there was another, major twist in the saga when Kai Havertz injured his knee after coming off the bench in the season-opening 1-0 victory at Manchester United.
Arsenal’s brains trust of Arteta, Lewis, Berta and managing director Richard Garlick convened and decided action was needed.
The club has tweaked their recruitment style for the new season. Rather than focusing on three groups – starters, back-ups and prospects, the emphasis has been on making groups one and two almost indistinguishable from each other.
The aim is to ensure there are no back-ups, only a larger pool of starters and that when there is an injury or a need for rotation there is no noticeable drop off in the level of talent available to the manager or the consistency of performance.
The prospect of missing Havertz, and the possibility of the injury reoccurring, was discussed. While the three points were welcome, victory over United also failed to settle questions over the levels coming from Arsenal’s left, and an area which at times last season looked like it could be strengthened.
Eze’s name was mentioned as a potential answer to both issues and the green light was obtained from co-chair Josh Kroenke. Here was another piece falling into place. Kroenke was in town for the United game and Tuesday night’s PFA Awards which meant the club’s ownership were right across the situation rather than across the Atlantic – and Lewis made the call late on Wednesday afternoon.
It is well known within football that the CAA Base agency, who represent Eze, have a close relationship with Tottenham which has spanned many years. When Spurs became aware that Arsenal had jumped in, it is understood that attempts were made to try and draw on that relationship and to see if anything could be done to keep Eze on the road to Tottenham.
But the agency had to be realistic. Once Arsenal were in the game, there was only ever going to be one destination. The message was relayed back to Spurs that this was an emotional decision and that there was nothing they could do to alter the outcome.
At Tottenham’s end there was disappointment, but the message rang true. They had agreed a fee of around £55m plus £5m in add-ons and believed the player would be theirs after he had appeared for Palace for his farewell match on Thursday night. They had even offered Richarlison, when the Eagles mentioned that they could not let the player go without finding an attacking replacement. This will sting.
Arsenal, however, had been quietly kept in the loop throughout. Indeed, Daily Mail Sport understands that on August 10, Lewis called Parish and asked for an update. As a result of that spirit of co-operation, the Gunners are thought to have made it worthwhile for both Palace and their player.
They are expected to pay £60m with £8m in add-ons. Those with knowledge of the deal say the add-ons are ‘almost guaranteed’ and that the payment terms are more favourable than those proposed by Tottenham.
Some may wonder how, given Arsenal’s summer spending, they have managed to pull this off given the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. They came into the window with space to work, but there may well be departures before September 1.
Do not be surprised to see around two-thirds of the Eze fee clawed back via the sales of some of Arteta’s fringe players. Oleksandr Zinchenko has admirers at Porto, while Reiss Nelson is admired by Fulham. Jakub Kiwior could make the reverse journey to Palace, should they, as expected, decide to cash-in on Marc Guehi.
Gunners fans who – aside from the obvious poke in the eye to their rivals – will feel Eze’s arrival may well see the completion of the jigsaw, may also have some unsung heroes to thank.
The club’s commercial team have driven revenue to new levels. Growth has risen exponentially. In the latest accounts, commercial revenue increased from £169.3m to £218.3m. This summer there have been a host of new deals with the likes of Guinness and Asahi Super Dry, and supporters may wish to raise a glass to those involved.
Those over in the accounts department are now up against it. This has also been a summer of renewals and new deals for Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are not thought to be a million miles away.
The wage bill has risen substantially and UEFA’s more stringent financial rules, which state clubs participating in the Champions League can only spend 70 per cent of revenue on salaries and associated costs could prove more problematic than the Premier League’s regulations. It would not appear as thought the trading season is over.
Back to Eze. For 14 years he was no longer ‘the guy with the Arsenal’ shirt, as he described himself in that interview with the Men in Blazers podcast. That will soon change, as redemption edges ever closer.
