Arsenal fans are having one of those summers where hope and worry are dancing together in their heads because there is so much happening so many rumours so many targets and everyone just wants to know who is coming in and who might be leaving the big story making the rounds is about Eberechi Eze and whether Arsenal can beat Tottenham and everyone else to his signature you can see people arguing about it in pubs on social media everywhere because Eze is that kind of player he gets people talking he is skilful he is entertaining he is unpredictable and crucially he can score goals out of nothing which is something Arsenal have needed in the tight games when nothing is working you want someone who can just pop up with magic and Eze has shown he can do that at Crystal Palace
But of course nothing is ever that simple in the transfer market Crystal Palace don’t want to sell their best player without a fight they have slapped a £68 million release clause on him which is a lot of money even for Arsenal and then you have Tottenham sniffing around they know Arsenal want him so that alone is reason enough for them to be interested because let’s be honest that rivalry is real and Spurs would love nothing more than to ruin an Arsenal deal and sign him themselves but even aside from the rivalry Eze is just a good fit for them too he is 27 he is experienced but not old he is Premier League proven he is an England international now and he is at the peak of his powers last season he got 8 goals and 8 assists in the league and helped Palace win the FA Cup so naturally every top club in England is watching
And then there’s the angle that’s a bit emotional for Arsenal fans because Eze used to be at the club as a kid he’s even talked about it before how he was released when he was 13 how he cried in his room for a week how it really hurt him and that kind of story always tugs at your heart because you can imagine the redemption arc him coming back to the club that let him go proving everyone wrong being a star at the Emirates that’s the sort of fairytale football fans dream about and there’s no doubt that’s part of the appeal here for some Arsenal supporters they want to see that story completed
But football isn’t just about stories it’s also about cold hard money and strategy and fit and that’s where the debate starts to get interesting because Eze is expensive there’s no getting around that £68 million is a lot and Arsenal have other priorities too they want a striker they want another midfielder they want to strengthen in defence and there’s only so much money to go around even if the owners are willing to spend they have to be smart about it because of FFP and long-term planning so the question is do you blow £68 million on Eze when you might get someone like Noni Madueke for half the price
Because Madueke is another name that keeps coming up Arsenal have reportedly agreed personal terms with him already which shows there’s serious interest he’s 23 younger than Eze and while he doesn’t have quite the same level of Premier League experience he’s played plenty for Chelsea and he’s an England international too last season he scored 7 goals and got 4 assists for Chelsea in 32 games which is decent especially considering that Chelsea were a complete mess for parts of the season he mostly plays on the right wing which is Bukayo Saka’s territory but he’s versatile he can switch sides and in theory he could ease the burden on Saka who has played an insane number of minutes over the last three seasons
Saka has been overworked there’s no doubt about it he started 108 of 114 league games over three seasons before missing three months last year with a hamstring injury that is not sustainable Arsenal need to protect their best players and having someone like Madueke who can rotate with Saka and still offer a threat would be a massive boost but then you have the positional question Eze is more of an attacking midfielder who can also play on the left Madueke is more of an out-and-out winger on the right so it’s not exactly an either/or in a perfect world you’d want both or at least someone for each rol
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And then just to make things even more complicated Arsenal are also looking at other wide attacking options Rodrygo from Real Madrid is one name that has been floated around the idea there is mouth-watering because Rodrygo is world-class already he’s a Champions League winner he’s only 24 and he can change games on his own he’s also used to playing under immense pressure for the biggest club in the world so you know he wouldn’t be fazed by the demands at Arsenal the problem is price Real Madrid would want at least £70 million if they even agree to sell at all and there’s no confirmation Rodrygo himself would want to leave Madrid that’s his home that’s where he’s a star so it’s a tricky one
There’s also Anthony Gordon at Newcastle another player Arsenal have been keeping tabs on for over a year he’s 24 he’s aggressive quick direct and he’s improved a lot at Newcastle helping them qualify for the Champions League last year but Newcastle don’t want to sell him they want to build around him and it would take a huge fee to even get them to the negotiating table so that’s another complicated option
So Arsenal are definitely casting a wide net they are looking at Eze they are looking at Madueke they are looking at Rodrygo they are looking at Gordon and that shows how serious they are about adding creativity and firepower to the squad last season there were too many games where they just ran out of ideas especially when Odegaard and Saka were injured you need players who can do something on their own who can dribble shoot from distance play the final pass that’s why Eze is so appealing because he has those skills and he’s proven he can do it in the Premier League
And you can see the debate among fans some people are all in on Eze they don’t care about the price they just want quality proven Premier League quality someone who can slot in right away others think Madueke is smarter younger cheaper with more upside in the long term some want Rodrygo even though he might be the hardest deal of all and of course there’s always the worry about blocking Ethan Nwaneri’s path to the first team because Nwaneri is the jewel of the academy he had a breakout season last year scoring nine goals even though he’s just 18 he wants a clear path into the first team and Arsenal want to show him there’s room for him that they believe in him
Some fans are worried that signing someone like Eze for big money could discourage Nwaneri or make him think about leaving which is the last thing Arsenal want you can see people asking online would it be better to loan Nwaneri to Palace for a season if they sign Eze would that help everyone he’d get minutes in the Premier League develop without blocking anyone but it’s not that simple Arteta is known for managing young players carefully for giving them chances when they’re ready he won’t want to lose Nwaneri even temporarily if he thinks he can help next season
Meanwhile Palace fans have their own perspective they know Arsenal want Eze but they won’t let him go cheap they want the release clause paid or a player in exchange and that’s another angle being discussed if Arsenal want to reduce the fee could they include a player in a swap who would Palace want someone like Nketiah maybe or Nelson or even Nwaneri on loan it all depends on what Palace value and what Arsenal are willing to give up
And while all this is going on the wider transfer market is moving too Everton are close to signing Thierno Barry from Villarreal Newcastle are trying to get Anthony Elanga over the line there are other big money deals happening all over the Premier League Leeds have signed Gabriel Gudmundsson Sunderland have signed Reinildo Mandava Spurs have signed Kota Takai everyone is trying to get their business done early to avoid the last minute panic buying
But Arsenal know they need to get it right because they are so close to winning the league last year they fell just short to City again and they know adding the right pieces could make the difference they don’t want to buy for the sake of buying they want players who improve the first eleven who fit the style who can handle the pressure they want to keep building the culture Arteta has created which is why every name they’re linked with is being scrutinised so much by fans and media
Because it’s not just about talent it’s about fit personality mentality adaptability can they press can they defend can they handle low blocks can they handle big Champions League nights under the lights at the Emirates those are the questions being asked about Eze about Madueke about Rodrygo about Gordon and even about cheaper options who might appear if the big deals don’t work out
And that’s why this transfer window feels so massive for Arsenal because they’re not far away but they’re not there yet they need to close that gap to City and to do that they need to nail these signings they need to be smart they need to move quickly but not rashly they need to convince players to come they need to balance the squad they need to plan for now and the future because the fans are desperate to see the Premier League trophy back at the Emirates they believe this team is close but close isn’t enough you have to win
