Arsenal have completed the signing of England forward Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.
The Gunners agreed a deal worth £60m, including £8m in add-ons, for the 27-year-old to become their seventh summer signing.
Eze had been one of Tottenham’s prime targets this summer and Spurs had agreed terms with both Palace and Eze.
But Spurs’ north London rivals then made a move for Eze on Wednesday and the boyhood Arsenal fan chose to rejoin the Gunners having started his youth career with the club.
A relaxed Eze, wearing an Arsenal shirt and jeans, sauntered out to a rapturous reception from fans before the match against Leeds.
Sporting director Andrea Berta described Eze as a “creative and explosive talent with huge technical quality”.
Manager Mikel Arteta said: “He is a powerful and exciting player who will give us a new dimension in our attacking game. What stands out just as much as his talent and intelligence as a player, is the way he has worked hard throughout his career to get where he is today.
“His journey, his mentality and his ambition are exactly what we want in our team, and we love how much it means to him and his family to be joining our club.”
Eze, who was raised in Greenwich, south-east London, began his senior career with QPR after leaving Arsenal, before making a £19.5m move to Palace in 2020.
In June 2023 he earned his first England cap and five months later he signed a contract extension with Palace to 2027.
Eze scored 40 goals in 169 games for Palace and claimed 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, including the only goal in the FA Cup final.
He started the Eagles’ Premier League opener at Chelsea last week but missed Thursday’s Europa Conference play-off.
Arsenal had a long-standing interest in Eze but secured other attacking targets earlier this summer, allowing Tottenham to move to the brink of securing his signature.
Although Eze had agreed to join Spurs, Palace wanted to keep him for Thursday’s game with Fredrikstad so the move was not completed.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were assessing a knee injury to forward Kai Havertz and decided to make a move for Eze, submitting a bid on Wednesday afternoon.
Given his connection to the club, Eze chose to join the Gunners over Spurs, which is sure to make him an instant fans’ favourite at Emirates Stadium.
It seemed Arsenal were not going to pursue a deal for Eze after signing Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, while youngster Ethan Nwaneri signed a new long-term contract.
But Havertz then got injured and instead of looking to bring in a loan signing as cover, the Gunners sensed an opportunity to deny their rivals another transfer target after Spurs failed to secure a deal for Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White earlier this summer.
Eze’s arrival takes Mikel Arteta’s spending beyond £200m this summer as Arsenal aim to end a run of five straight seasons without a trophy.
‘Palace will live in my heart forever’
Shortly after the deal was announced, Eze posted an emotional thank you message to Crystal Palace on social media, describing his relationship with the fans as a “love shared that will last a lifetime”.
He said: “It feels like just yesterday I was walking through the doors joining from QPR. The day you gave me the chance to realise my dream of playing in the Premier League, for south London’s biggest club.
“They call us a family club because it’s impossible to truly understand what it’s like to be part of this club unless you’re in it. They’re not wrong.
“Throughout the challenges of the Covid times, from the day I tore my Achilles and the long road of recovery, to that night at Selhurst against Villa when I came back, up until this very day, the love you have all shown me, the way you have all supported me, and how we’ve stood together no matter what, these are things that will live in my heart forever.”
Source: BBC
