BREAKING - Eberechi Eze's first words after completing Arsenal transfer from Crystal Palace

Eberechi Eze has taken to social media after his move to Arsenal from Crystal Palace was confirmed. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur before Andrea Berta swooped in and secured his signature.

football.london understands Spurs had agreed terms with Crystal Palace, and Eze was ready to join Thomas Frank's side. The Eagles wanted the England international available for the first leg of their Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad FK on Thursday night, so a deal wasn't wrapped up.

Then, late on Wednesday, Arsenal made a late approach and they quickly agreed terms with the south Londoners. Fortunately for Mikel Arteta, Eze chose to join the Gunners, having grown up as a supporter of the club.

Berta forked out about £68 million for the Crystal Palace talisman, taking Arsenal's total spend for the summer to over £250m. Eze, who underwent a medical on Friday, has signed a long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Eze took to social media to send a message after his move was confirmed. In an emotional goodbye message to Palace, he wrote: "Five years, man. Crazy. It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the doors joining from QPR.

"The day you gave me the chance to realise my dream of playing in the Premier League, For South London’s biggest club. From the start, I had goals set and my targets in place for what I wanted to achieve here at Palace but I had no idea of what these last 5 years would really turn out to be.

"They call us a family club because it’s impossible to truly understand what it’s like to be part of this club unless you’re in it. They’re not wrong. Throughout the challenges of the covid times, from the day I tore my achilles and the long road of recovery to that night at Selhurst against Villa when I came back, up until this very day, the love you have all shown me, the way you have all supported me, and how we’ve stood together no matter what, these are things that will live in my heart forever.

"And thats all before we made history together, lol. Wembley, man. That whole journey. Words aren’t enough to describe what we all experienced that day so I’m not gunna try, but what I will say is that God did something for us that will connect us for generations.

"The most special day of my career because God gave us what no one thought was possible for us! So after all of this, all I really want to say is thank you. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for giving me a chance, and thank you for the love shared that will last a lifetime. Up the Palace. God Bless, Ebz."

Speaking to the club website, Arteta expressed his delight with the move. The Spaniard said: "We are absolutely delighted to bring Eberechi to Arsenal. He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game.

"What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.

"His journey, his mentality, and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club. We all look forward to start working with Eberechi soon."

Meanwhile, Berta said: "We are so pleased to have completed this deal to bring Eberechi to Arsenal. Eberechi is a creative and explosive talent with huge technical quality – also a big-game player, with his experience at international level with England also underlining his quality and character.

"There has been excellent teamwork across the club to make this transfer happen and we are very confident Eberechi will be an important addition to our squad as we continue to build for success."

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