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(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Eberechi Eze reportedly has no intention of leaving Arsenal despite a difficult start to the season and concerns over his form under Mikel Arteta.
The England international has started only one of Arsenal’s opening seven Premier League matches and was substituted at half-time during that game against Nottingham Forest.
However, his excellent response against Bayern Munich in midweek may have given Arteta a timely reminder of what he can offer.
According to Football Insider, Eze remains happy at Arsenal and is not concerned about his limited starting opportunities so far this season.
The 28-year-old believes he still has much more to offer and wants to fight for a bigger role rather than consider an exit.
That case was strengthened during Arsenal’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich. Eze replaced the injured Bukayo Saka after 10 minutes and opened the scoring with an excellent finish in the 25th minute.
The Standard awarded him 9/10, describing his display as an “emphatic answer to recent criticism”.
Arteta has also previously praised Eze’s attitude while out of the team.
Speaking earlier this year, he said: “The way he trains every day, the way he wants it and wants to do everything it takes to change my mind and give him more minutes, has been phenomenal.”
The issue for Eze has never really been talent.
At Crystal Palace, he regularly played as the main creative figure and had the freedom to drift into dangerous areas.
Arsenal are different. Arteta demands far more positional discipline, pressing structure and consistency without the ball. That adjustment has clearly taken time.
But the Bayern performance showed why Arsenal invested heavily in him. Eze came into a huge European game unexpectedly, looked fearless and produced one of his best displays since joining the club.
Saka’s injury could now create an opening. With Arsenal likely to rotate more heavily over the coming weeks, Eze should receive increased opportunities across the attacking positions.
The challenge is consistency. One excellent night in Munich does not erase an underwhelming opening to the campaign, but it can change momentum.