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Mikel Arteta must be prepared to accept some responsibility for Eberechi Eze's disappointing start to life at Arsenal. The 27-year-old midfielder, whom the Gunners signed from Crystal Palace for £68million at the end of the summer transfer window, has looked like a shell of his former self under his new boss.
Eze arrived at the Emirates Stadium as a maverick with a license to roam the final third. The England international was expected to breathe new life into the north London outfit, which strayed from everything that Arteta had built after years of misery and setback in the quest for silverware.
The Spaniard assembled one of the exciting teams in Europe in 2023, but Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title by just five points. Determined to knock Manchester City off their perch, the Gunners slowly deviated from their attractive brand of football and prioritised efficiency.
Arteta managed to transform Arsenal into a physical powerhouse that prides itself on having ultimate control across the park, but it came at the cost of creative freedom and personality. Arriving as somebody who had previously relished a talismanic role, Eze was expected to reignite the spark in the north Londoners' frontline.
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But the Englishman has become a square peg in a round hole, with Arteta seemingly always looking for an excuse to shore up the side. Eze was hooked midway through Arsenal's disappointing draw to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday night, coming off for Martin Odegaard.
When pressed on the change, the Gunners boss claimed that he wanted 'another kind of profile'. Arteta also suggested that Arsenal shifted into 'another gear' and posed a greater threat after the substitution.
While the numbers backed the argument, the Spaniard tried to play Eze in a central role, despite having earned his stripes at Crystal Palace in a free role on the left. As displayed in the graphics provided by Opta below, the Englishman has been forced out to the right at Arsenal when, in fact, he's proved on numerous occasions that he should be on the opposite flank.
Regardless of position, Eze has underperformed on five fronts. According to Opta, so far this season for Arsenal, the midfielder has averaged only 0.52 goals and assists per 90 minutes in the English top flight, down from 0.55 last term.
Eze has completed far fewer dribbles, averaging just 1.55 per 90 minutes compared to 2.32 in 2024/25, and has far fewer touches of the ball, down from 54.9 per 90 minutes to 46.2 this season.
He's also created far fewer chances, down from 2.01 last term to 0.77 so far in 2025/26. Eze has rarely crossed the ball too since swapping Selhurst Park for the Emirates Stadium, averaging just 0.09 deliveries into the box, including corners, per 90 minutes; last term, he averaged one, which is quite the drop off.
Eze has to take responsibility for his disastrous start to life in north London, but so does Arteta. If the Spaniard can play the midfielder to his strengths and get the best out of him, then Arsenal could cruise to the Premier League title in May.
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