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Arsenal supporters have awoken to news that rivals Tottenham are keen on signing Eberechi Eze. football.london understands that while interest from the Gunners remains, the club’s priority at this moment is regarding outgoings.
The injury to James Maddison has certainly brought Spurs back to the table. Although there was believed to be interest in Eze earlier in the window, the player's preference for Arsenal initially dissuaded them from a move.
That said, with Arsenal now having secured the future of Ethan Nwaneri to a long-term contract and the Gunners focusing more on outgoings and a potential left-wing signing, with Eze seen more so as a central player, the door has been left open for a rival like Spurs to come in. Despite this, the player is still thought to have a move to Arsenal as his desired outcome, which complicates things for Tottenham.
Can Arsenal therefore afford to miss out on Eze and watch him move to Spurs? It is not ideal, that is for sure.
Eze is a player whom Mikel Arteta, in particular, is believed to like very much. However, the reality is that Eze is a central player who can operate in a wide role, but with both Nwaneri and Martin Odegaard, Arsenal are well covered.
There is also the presence of Max Dowman. While some might scoff at factoring in the presence of a 15-year-old, the youngster’s talent and potential cannot be ignored when he is considered one of the best in the world in his age bracket. Despite often replacing Bukayo Saka on the right, Dowman, too, is seen more as a central player for the future.
If one of Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli is to move, this could change the situation for Arsenal, and there are several links with the former and an exit. Even then, however, Eze would be asked to play in his less-favoured wide left position and cost the club a fee upwards of £50million, potentially, £60million.
Arsenal have spent close to £200million on players, whereas they have brought in less than £10million. This would be the eighth summer where the Gunners have made a significant net loss in terms of spending on players.
Ultimately, while the club would certainly love to spend more and could afford to, the limits placed on them by UEFA Financial Fair Play and the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules, in addition to simple counting, is why the club are focusing, for now, on the outgoings. Not including Max Dowman, the injured Gabriel Jesus, and a potential seventh summer signing, the club have 27 players in the senior group.
They are also at the maximum for non-homegrown players, at 17. They can get more room by moving the likes of Sambi Lokonga, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira.
Even then, Arteta can only take 20 players into a matchday, and adding a seventh signing this summer will mean several players will be left out of the matchday squad, for now, barring injury. That creates a difficult environment to manage, too.
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