Gabby Agbonlahor liked what he saw from Eberechi Eze during Arsenal’s Carabao Cup win over Port Vale.
The League One side truly tested Arsenal, with goals from Eze and Leandro Trossard making the difference.
Arsenal played a strong starting XI against Port Vale, with Eze handed a start alongside Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
It was uplifting to see Mikel Arteta stick to his word and play Eze centrally, giving the England international the chance to show what he can do in place of Martin Odegaard.
Gabby Agbonlahor warns Mikel Arteta not to drop Eberechi Eze
As Odegaard continues to nurse a shoulder injury, there’s a rare gap for Eze to step in away from the left side.
The 27-year-old impressed against Port Vale and had Gabby Agbonlahor thinking, with the pundit bursting with praise for the playmaker post-match.
“It’s elegance, he just drifts past players, he has that elegance and that class where he looks like he’s having fun,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.
“It’s like he’s in the playground with his mates at school, and that’s the sort of player Arsenal need, that’s what the England national team need.”
The Aston Villa icon then followed by pleading for Arteta not to drop Eze, referring to the summer signing being benched against Manchester City.
“Please, Mikel Arteta, don’t drop him for the big games like you did at the weekend.”
Ian Wright was fuming that Arteta dropped Eze for the Man City clash, with the manager’s mistake being highlighted when the Englishman was introduced at half-time.
Eze has a point to prove against Newcastle
Eze went on to record the assist for the late equaliser against City, showing Arteta what he can offer to the Arsenal squad at a time of need.
For that reason, Agbonlahor hopes to see the former Crystal Palace star start against Newcastle, which is the same wish many Arsenal fans will have.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Assists |
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Having recorded three goal contributions in his opening four appearances for Arsenal, Eze will be hungry to keep his strong start to life as a Gunner going.
There’s an even greater incentive to do so, as, in his career, Eze has never scored against Newcastle.
In fact, the last time Eze recorded a goal contribution against the Magpies was during the 2020/21 season.
Arteta needs to show trust in Eze against Newcastle, particularly with Odegaard expected to be sidelined.
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