‘Arsenal have a huge decision to make about Eberechi Eze’
Mikel Arteta has to decide where Eberechi Eze best fits into his Arsenal team after Martin Odegaard’s return to the starting XI.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the boss must decide who his first-choice attacking midfielder will be.
Eze was moved to the left wing to accommodate Odegaard during Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday, but turned in an underwhelming performance.
The former Crystal Palace star was at fault for Matty Cash’s opening goal before being withdrawn at half-time, raising questions about his role in the side.
This comes after Brown told Football Insider in July that there were doubts over Eze’s move to Arsenal and whether he could be consistent enough to justify his price tag.
Mikel Arteta weighs up major Eberechi Eze decision
Brown told Football Insider following Arsenal’s win against Tottenham that Eze must become more consistent under Arteta to become an elite player.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that there are now questions about the England international’s role in the side.
“There have been some questions about Eze in this Arsenal team,” he told Football Insider.
“We spoke before this move happened about what his best position is, because at Palace he was allowed to be a bit of a free spirit and to drift around.
“Then, they had other players in the team who were prepared to work hard on the other side and get the ball to him in areas where he could pose a threat to the opposition.
“When he was in midfield for Arsenal, he had that to an extend, because Declan Rice and Zubimendi would do the dirty work and let him do his bit going forward.
“Now Odegaard has come back in, he’s been put out on the wing, but everybody knows Eze isn’t an out-and-out winger, that’s not his position.
“So there’s a huge call for Arteta to make, do you put Eze back into midfield and accept there are limitations to what he gives, or play him out of position?
“There’s even the option of him being somebody who fills in where he’s needed, and he can do that, but it’s not going to get the best out of him.
“It’s a difficult decision to make but the manager has to do something because questions are being asked after that defeat against Villa.”
Arsenal set sights on new additions to bolster their squad
Despite concerns about a number of players and their best positions in the side, Arsenal remain determined to add further quality options to their squad.
Eze’s makeshift position as a left winger has been questioned, and now Arsenal have set their sights on Antoine Semenyo, who would likely fill that role more naturally.
Football Insider revealed on 7 December that Arsenal are interested in signing Semenyo, but may wait until the summer when his release clause lowers.
Semenyo signed a new contract during the summer which includes a £65million release clause, placing interested clubs on alert ahead of the mid-season window.
However, that fee will drop to £50million in the summer, tempting the likes of Arsenal to delay January moves in favour of paying a lower fee at a later date.
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