Eberechi Eze will be fearing for his chances at Arsenal after latest development
Eberechi Eze will be fearing for his chances at Arsenal after Noni Madueke took his golden opportunity with two hands vs Leeds United.
Christos Tzolis' injury has provided the chance for some of Arsenal's fringe attackers to push for a first-team place.
When the first game without the left-sided attacker came around, manager Mikel Arteta placed his faith in Noni Madueke, snubbing Eze, who has yet to start a Premier League game this season.
Madueke had only started once this season before facing Leeds United, making this a golden opportunity for him to take.
Much has been said of Madueke's lack of minutes, with Football Insider previously sharing that there were no plans to part ways despite that.
And he could be in line for much more involvement after what was seen against Leeds, with Eze being left behind.
The match-leading stats that Noni Madueke produced vs Leeds
Arteta has confirmed that Tzolis will be out for a few more weeks yet, with the likes of Eze and Max Dowman likely to be watching on with keen eyes.
His absence opens the door for potential minutes for the duo, but so far that has come to no avail.
In the short term, it is Madueke who has surely drifted up the pecking order to replace the Greek international throughout his absence.
When Arsenal faced Leeds, you would not have known this was the 24-year-old's first Premier League start of the season based on his stats.
As shared by FotMob, no player created more chances than Madueke's three, while he also topped the charts for touches in the opposition box with eight.
Additionally, and more unsurprisingly, the Englishman also clocked the highest match speed with 34 kilometres per hour.
It was a performance that has likely cemented his place in Arsenal's starting XI for now, and perhaps even when Tzolis returns.
His directness, confidence and ability to make an impact in the final third have given Arteta another compelling reason to keep him in the side.
Eberechi Eze will be wondering what is next
Following Madueke's performance, it is hard to see where Eze will fit into the fold.
Martin Odegaard has been performing well as the number 10, making that route into the team extremely difficult for Eze.
Now, with the left wing seemingly being taken over by Madueke, the 28-year-old will have to prove himself on the training ground.
The former Crystal Palace talisman is already feeling the effects of his drop in the pecking order, as he got zero minutes against Leeds.