Eberechi Eze told what he must do next at Arsenal to truly become an ‘elite’ player
Eberechi Eze is facing pressure to continue his strong vein of form for Arsenal in the wake of his “stunning” hattrick against Tottenham.
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 27-year-old must be consistent to establish himself under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-1 in the North London derby, with Eze taking home the match ball as his side extended their lead at the top of the league to six points.
His goals were made sweeter by the fact Eze turned down Tottenham to join Arsenal, and he has now established himself as a fan-favourite at the Emirates.
However, he must build on his performance over the coming weeks if he is to help fire Arteta’s side to winning the major silverware they are targeting.
Eberechi Eze told he must continue his Arsenal form
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.
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, has insisted he must now build on his strong start at the Emirates after gaining the love of the supporters.
“It was a stunning performance against Tottenham,” he told Football Insider.
“But I think that brings a little bit of pressure with it, because he’s not a nearly-man any more, he is the man for Arsenal, and he has to continue to show that.
“He now can’t afford to drift through games playing it safe and doing a bit here and there.
“He’s now set the standard, everybody knows what he’s capable of and he showed that against Tottenham, and now the challenge is to keep that going.
“Obviously, scoring a hattrick against your biggest rivals will earn you the love of the fans, it’s something they’re not going to forget for years to come.
“But in terms of the here and now, with Arsenal challenging for trophies, Eze has got to build on that performance and continue making progress.
“That’s what the real elite players can do, and it was a concern I had about him coming from Palace, whether he could be that player, but now is his chance to prove it.”
Arsenal plan for busy January window amid title push
While Eze has been called upon to replicate his recent performances and aid Arsenal’s push for silverware, they have also set their sights on further additions to the squad.
Football Insider revealed on 22 November that Arsenal are poised to move for Kenan Yildiz after the Juventus forward’s contract talks stalled in Turin.
The Turkey international is primarily a wide forward but can play across the front three and would be seen as a major coup if the Gunners could land his signature.
Meanwhile, Football Insider revealed on 21 November that Arsenal have joined the race for Nathaniel Brown, the highly-rated Eintracht Frankfurt left-back.
Brown has emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s top prospects in the last 18 months, and has also attracted interest from the likes of Man United and Man City.
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