Ebelesi Eze was sent off at half-time during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brentford, failing to capitalize on his chances and raising further concerns over his £67.5 million transfer fee.
Ebelesi Eze played 45 minutes against Brentford (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Eberechi Eze is said to have Mikel Arteta “not interested in him” after the Arsenal star was hooked against Brentford. Eze, 27, was substituted at half-time in his first Premier League start in two months.
His replacement, Martin Odegaard, improved Arsenal’s performance and they took the lead shortly after. However, the Gunners quickly conceded and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Eze’s ineffective performance led to him coming under criticism. The midfielder has struggled to find his footing since joining his boyhood club following a £67.5m move from Crystal Palace in August, scoring five goals and registering just two assists.
Eze’s three goals came against Tottenham in November, including a memorable hat-trick in the North London derby. However, the England international was unable to feature during the winter and there is now growing debate about his performance.
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read more: Arsenal add further misery to Martin Odegaard’s injury concerns after Brenford drawread more: Martin Keown praises Arsenal’s ‘outstanding’ star player after Brentford draw but points out problems
After the game, former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch told TNT Sports: “I don’t think he was starting in the top nine or close to that. So he started today. You think, ‘Okay, let’s go and impress’. Unfortunately, he was just out of form and couldn’t get on the ball in the first half.”
“Overall it was difficult for Arsenal. I really felt for him and he doesn’t give you what Odegaard does in pressing and he doesn’t have an impact when he doesn’t have the ball.
“To be honest, he was a bit of a passenger. We decided in half an hour that he was going to be sent off because we felt that for some reason he (Arteta) didn’t like him at the moment. It would hurt his England chances.”
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Martin Keown pounces on Ebelesi Eze’s defense (Image: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside, Getty Images)
Arsenal legend Martin Keown disagrees with Crouch and is “confident” Eze will do well. “I think to say he doesn’t like it means the player doesn’t understand structure the same way Odegaard does,” Keown replied.
“Odegaard knows exactly where to be when the opponent has the ball, picks up those little spaces, makes little passes and builds up the play. That’s what Odegaard is good at, but Eze hasn’t quite figured it out yet. It will come in time and I’m sure it will.”
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