Mikel Arteta rejected Chelsea star to sign Eberechi Eze, now he could cause Arsenal big issues

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Last summer, during Arsenal’s hunt for an attacker, Joao Pedro was among the options considered before his move to Chelsea.

Now, the Brazilian could look to make Mikel Arteta’s team pay by helping drag Chelsea back in the Carabao Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium.

Change our mind: Joao Pedro would have been a MUCH BETTER signing than Eberechi Eze…

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The 24-year-old has five goals in his last five matches for the Blues and is enjoying his best run of form since making the switch from Brighton.

Gabriel Magalhaes will now have to be super alert to his fellow countryman, who is set to be Chelsea’s biggest threat to Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta picked Eberechi Eze over Joao Pedro

During the 2025 summer transfer window, Arsenal opted to sign Eberechi Eze over Joao Pedro for one clear reason.

Despite the Chelsea star being a target, Ben Jacobs revealed back in July that Arteta preferred Eze’s profile to Pedro’s.

The North London club wanted a more traditional left winger and number ten, with Eze fitting the bill better than Pedro.

Arsenal took their time to move for Eze, but after Tottenham made their move, Berta finally got his skates on and swooped in.

But looking back, the Brazilian perhaps could have been a better fit for Arsenal than Eze, and maybe even Viktor Gyokeres as a number nine.

With Chelsea’s defensive struggles in mind, send us your score predictions

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Pedro has 12 goals in total this season, which is more than both Eze and Gyokeres, and now, he will be hoping to add to his tally against Arsenal.

Last week, Pedro really announced himself at the West London club with a crucial brace away at Napoli to fire the Blues into the Champions League Round of 16.

Along with Enzo Fernandez, he will certainly be the player Arsenal must look out for on Tuesday evening.

Mikel Arteta demands more from Eberechi Eze at Arsenal

Ahead of the Chelsea clash, Arteta has hailed Eze as ‘very good’, but also urged him to have an impact over the course of 96 minutes.

“You have to impact the game consistently throughout 96 minutes at this level. And any phase, any action is the most important action. And on top of that, you have to be able to add other values,” Arteta told the media.

“In his case, he’s very, very good and unique at creating those magic moments. So, that’s the demands of his player.”