Inside Eberechi Eze to Arsenal: Last-minute phone call with Arteta, Tim Lewis’ role, Josh Kroenke’s sign-off

 

It’s not a hijack, it’s a love story.

On Wednesday, Eberechi Eze was expecting to sign for Tottenham. It was undeniably a good move: a London club, a Champions League club, no less. For his career, it represented a step up.

But before he committed, there was one phone call he needed to make. Eze called Mikel Arteta.

It was not the first time they had spoken. Arteta and Eze had a conversation at the end of June, when Arsenal first explored a potential deal for the 27-year-old Crystal Palace playmaker. Since then, however, Arsenal’s interest had seemingly waned. Tottenham had stepped up their pursuit.

From a professional perspective, Eze was happy to sign for Spurs. But he had grown up an Arsenal fan. He wept when released from the club’s academy aged 13. Before signing anything, Eze needed to know if there was any chance of making a deal with Arsenal happen.

Timing is everything, and Eze’s couldn’t have been better. Arsenal were still reeling from the news that Kai Havertz had been sidelined with a knee injury. They were actively looking for ways to reinforce their attack.

Arteta told Eze that Arsenal had a board meeting that afternoon. By the time that meeting had concluded, an ecstatic Eze was informed that the deal was all but done. By Wednesday night, Arsenal had an agreement with Crystal Palace for an initial £60million ($81.2m) with a potential £7.5m in add-ons. Eze’s representatives had also agreed personal terms on a four-year contract with the option of a further year.

There was no real tug-of-war with Tottenham. There couldn’t be. If Arsenal were at the table, there was only one destination for this player.

As well as speaking to Arteta, Eze lobbied England team-mates at Arsenal to push the club for his arrival. As with Viktor Gyokeres before, Arsenal were struck by a player prepared to do whatever it took to get his preferred move.

For Eze, the transfer is a dream come true. For Arsenal, it’s a statement of ambition. When Havertz went down, Arsenal were determined that this would not be another season defined by injuries.

After that initial conversation in June, Eze never entirely left Arsenal’s thoughts. In the end, they could not resist him. Wresting him away from their local rivals was simply the icing on the cake.

Eze loves Arsenal, but the feeling is mutual. Arteta had grown increasingly enamoured with the attacker, and the club have pushed the boat out to make a deal happen. He brings audacious talent, considerable experience, and the hunger to rewrite his Arsenal story.

To tell the inside story of this transfer, The Athletic has spoken to sources from clubs involved and linked to players, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships.

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A player of Eze’s calibre was always going to feature on Arsenal’s radar. Initially, however, there were other priorities to attend to in the window — chiefly the acquisition of a new No 9.

When Arsenal first began exploring a potential deal for Eze, it was linked to their contract negotiations with Ethan Nwaneri. While Arsenal were always hopeful Nwaneri would extend, talks reached a delicate stage.

Nwaneri had just 12 months to run on his existing deal. With interest in the 18-year-old from the Premier League and abroad, Arsenal were clear that they could not allow him to enter the final year of his contract. The club never wanted to sell Nwaneri, but there were fears it might come to that.

Sensibly, Arsenal began exploring contingencies. They discussed Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White, but it was Eze who held the most appeal. In early dialogue between the parties, Eze’s personality made a strong impression.

The clear issue was price. For much of the summer, Eze had a release clause enabling him to leave for a fee of £60million plus £8m in add-ons. Arsenal considered that price steep for a 27-year-old. They hoped to pay closer to £40m, perhaps ranging up to £50m with add-ons. For Palace, that was a no-go.

Arsenal’s concerns proved to be moot: in the first half of July, they had a breakthrough in contract talks with Nwaneri. The interest in Eze was shelved — temporarily, at least. Arsenal saw Eze primarily as a central player, and at the time, Arsenal prioritised strengthening the wings. They moved forward with a deal for Noni Madueke, paying an initial £48.5million — a price they felt was attractive given the market.

Arsenal and Tottenham’s pursuit of Eze have something in common: they were both accelerated by injury. When James Maddison suffered an ACL injury during a pre-season friendly against Newcastle, Spurs stepped up their interest in the Palace man.

Like Arsenal, Spurs were reluctant to meet the release clause. They started indirect negotiations with Crystal Palace over a fee. The two clubs were initially far apart in their valuations, but they steadily grew closer. By August 15, they were said to be “very close” to an agreement.

On August 18, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy held face-to-face talks with his Palace counterpart, Steve Parish. They agreed on the broad outline of a deal for £50million with a further £10m in add-ons.

The following day, however, the deal took a backwards step. The devil was in the details: while the broad terms were agreed, there was a dispute over the bonus structure. Both sides were frustrated. By Tuesday evening, the deal appeared to be in some jeopardy.

On the other side of north London, Arsenal were experiencing problems of their own that evening. Havertz had missed Arsenal’s penultimate friendly with a knee issue, but this time, the injury appeared altogether more serious. Scans on Tuesday did not provide a clear timeline for recovery, but Arsenal were concerned. At best, he’d miss weeks — weeks in which Arsenal face crucial games against Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City. At worst, it could be months.

Losing Havertz for any length of time was a hammer blow. Had he been fully fit, many at Arsenal felt he was in line to start at Old Trafford. Arteta had envisaged relying on the German international while Viktor Gyokeres built up his match fitness.

Arsenal bought Gyokeres to ensure they had real depth and options at centre-forward. A lengthy lay-off for Havertz would put them back where they started. Arsenal recognised they would need to re-enter the market.

On Wednesday morning, in an attempt to push through the transfer, Spurs submitted a formal offer which acceded to all of Palace’s demands — including allowing Eze to participate in their UEFA Conference League qualifier on Thursday night. They never heard back. Within hours, Parish had struck a deal with Arsenal.

It’s well-known that Eze preferred Arsenal. But Palace did too.

The good relationship between Parish and Arsenal’s executive vice-chair Tim Lewis was key. While Arsenal had backed away from Eze, they were able to remain informed on proceedings, perhaps hoping to return if they made sales. Negotiations between Tottenham and Palace had been difficult, and when Lewis and Arsenal came forward as an alternative buyer, Parish was happy to oblige.

Arsenal had discussed a number of options to replace Havertz. They toyed with the idea of a No 9, but knew that would create congestion when Havertz returned. Some lobbied for a left-winger, with Rodrygo of Real Madrid once again discussed.

But it was Eze who won out. He had left a big impression on Arteta, and Arsenal decided he could bring qualities they did not have elsewhere in the squad.

Once approval had been received from Arsenal’s owners — co-chairman Josh Kroenke is in Europe for the start of the Premier League season and signed off on behalf of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment — they proceeded with a bid. Spurs had been negotiating for weeks — Arsenal struck their deal in less than 24 hours.

Arsenal know what it feels like to be in Tottenham’s position. In January 2023, they were gazumped in a similar fashion by Chelsea for Mykhailo Mudryk. This time, the shoe is on the other foot.

For Palace, the outcome was ideal. The final agreement was for an initial £60million with a further £7.5m in possible add-ons — virtually the same as the release clause that expired before the start of the Premier League season. Palace had benefited from the interest of two parties in Eze.

Arsenal also agreed that Eze would be available to play against Fredrikstad on Thursday night, scheduling his medical for the following day.

Arsenal’s willingness to spend big on Eze before securing any significant sales has surprised many. Arsenal have spent almost £70million on a player they allowed to leave their academy for nothing. Even internally, some urged caution. Arsenal are sailing ever closer to the wind on UEFA’s squad cost ratio legislation.

But Arsenal have taken an aggressive approach this summer. This was not, they deemed, the time for hesitation.

Eze, who will wear the No 10 shirt, is another Tier 1 addition to the Arsenal squad — a player with the quality to be a starter. He is well-known to many of the group through the England squad. He brings creativity, flair, and end product, with 14 domestic goals and 11 assists for Palace last season.

He offers tactical intelligence, too. Under Oliver Glasner, he has shown an ability to thrive in a nuanced system.

He is not a direct replacement for Havertz, but he has the versatility to offer a number of potential solutions. Despite originally envisaging him as a central player, Arsenal are giving consideration to using Eze off the left. His presence in the squad also liberates the likes of Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino to fill in for Havertz when required.

In the end, Eze did not play against Fredrikstad. On Thursday morning, he explained to Glasner that he did not feel able to play. His mind was elsewhere. His heart, too.

Arsenal have not just bought Eze. They have brought him home.

It was nearly Spurs, but it was always Arsenal.

(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)