Arsenal fans are ecstatic about the news of Eberechi Eze’s pending arrival, but what does it mean for those already at the club?
In the eleventh hour, Arsenal hijacked Tottenham’s deal to sign Eze from Crystal Palace.
David Ornstein shared the news shortly after it was announced that Kai Havertz had suffered a knee injury.
From that moment, there was an understanding that Arsenal would look for reinforcements in the transfer window, and Andrea Berta wasted no time finding his match.
Arsenal will pay around £68m for Eze, snapping the deal up in rapid time to deny Spurs of their priority target.
Ethan Nwaneri’s position could change after Eberechi Eze’s arrival
It’s fair to say that Spurs fans haven’t taken the Eze transfer news well.
Does that make his transfer even sweeter? Yes, but the switch also comes with some minor concerns.
The reason the deal happened so late is because Arsenal didn’t initially bid for Eze because of Ethan Nwaneri.
The Hale End graduate was tied down to a new deal, with his pathway to one day claim the number 10 spot from Martin Odegaard clear.
Now that everything is in place for Arsenal to sign Eze, there must be a thought given to what the immediate future holds for Nwaneri.
During pre-season, Nwaneri made his best position clear to Arteta, thriving in the attacking midfield role, but that’s not the only place the Arsenal manager sees the teenager.
When discussing why Arsenal didn’t move for Eze last week, Ornstein revealed via The Athletic that the Gunners ‘now see’ Nwaneri in the ‘8 to 10 role’, rather than on the wing.
Nwaneri could be a deeper midfielder for Arsenal
Nwaneri, who was described as ‘unbelievable’ by Lee Carsley when in action for England U21s, has a huge season ahead of him, even more so now.
It will be fascinating to see if the 18-year-old takes up a slightly deeper position in midfield going forward now that he’s been shifted down the pecking order.
| Position | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Attacking midfield | 45 | 20 | 7 |
| Right wing | 20 | 4 | 2 |
| Centre-forward | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| Left wing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
There’s no need to be alarmed, as Nwaneri’s versatility is recognised, with Arsenal more than aware that the teen is deployable in a range of areas.
That being said, it’s also now known that aside from the ten, Arteta sees him as an eight, which could see him learn more from Declan Rice’s positioning in the squad.
Few players can play Rice’s role, giving Nwaneri food for thought as the season progresses, with a lot in store for the academy product, despite the latest transfer news looking like another hurdle.
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