Andrea Berta now has to sign Eberechi Eze after what ‘exquisite’ Arsenal target has just done

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Arsenal still want to sign a left-sided attacker this summer, with Eberechi Eze emerging as Andrea Berta’s primary target.

Viktor Gyokeres completed his move to the Emirates late last month, while Noni Madueke has also arrived in N5 from Chelsea.

Despite these attacking reinforcements, the Gunners are eager to add one more to their ranks, as they look to upgrade on the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Eze is top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist, with the player potentially available for less than his now expired £68 million release clause.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Arsenal now have to sign Eberechi Eze after Rodrygo’s transfer decision

Rodrygo was top of Arsenal’s transfer target list earlier this summer.

The Brazilian was said to be available after Xabi Alonso hardly used him for Real Madrid during the Club World Cup.

However, Rodrygo has now decided to stay in Madrid for the foreseeable future, vowing to fight for his place at the Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old’s wage demands were said to be too excessive for Arsenal anyway, and they must now focus their energy on securing someone else.

Rodrygo has been described as ‘exquisite’ by Mikel Merino, and the Gunners’ alternative target has to be of a similar calibre to the Real Madrid man.

Eze is the most likely signing given the noise circulating around the player and a potential switch to North London.

The Crystal Palace man would be an exceptional purchase for Arsenal, and the deal has now been necessitated by Rodrygo’s decision.

The likes of Nico Williams and Jamie Gittens, previous targets for Berta, are now off the cards, and Eze is the only remaining plausible and high-quality option.

The Italian sporting director must accelerate talks with Palace in the coming weeks and get a deal done swiftly, so that the England international can integrate into Arsenal’s squad as quickly as possible.

Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo’s statistics compared

While Rodrygo has a more impressive CV than Eze, the latter is proven in the Premier League and produced better numbers in a more challenging division last season.

As shown by the data below, Eze dribbles at a higher volume than Rodrygo, takes more shots and accumulates more expected goals per 90 minutes.

That said, Rodrygo has produced significantly better numbers than he did last season previously in his career, with this data somewhat hampered by the fact he was deployed off the right.

Nevertheless, Eze would bring qualities to Arsenal’s attack that they clearly lack, with dribbling in central areas and shot volume a concern last season.

Ultimately, the Gunners have to pivot from Rodrygo, and Eze looks like the best option available to them on the market.