Arsenal may have pulled off a transfer stunner — swooping for Eberechi Eze — reports David Ornstein. Right out from under Tottenham Hotspur, too. It looked as if the 27-year-old attacker was closing in on a move to Spurs, but the two clubs reached an impasse over when the move would go through. Palace wanted Eze available to play in their Conference League playoff match on Thursday, which Spurs did not want to agree to. Big mistake.
The Gunners, who have been linked with Eze for most of the summer,
are reportedly willing to allow Eze to play in that important match for Palace and have seemingly pulled ahead in the race to sign him as a result. Eze’s ties to Arsenal — he was a childhood supporter and spent time in the academy — probably doesn’t hurt, either.
Arsenal’s might have been more willing to agree to Palace’s conditions because of the injury to Kai Havertz. The Gunners want the attacking reinforcement more than anything, when it arrives is a secondary concern, and they’re willing to bear the risk of injury (although the deal isn’t sealed and would probably be scuppered if he got hurt) to make it happen.
There’s certainly more analysis to be done on the move, what it means for Arsenal, how he’ll fit in if the move actually happens, etc.
But for now, let’s focus on what is most important. I cannot stress this enough: Hijacked! GAZUMPED!
As a sidenote, earlier today, a couple hours before Ornstein’s report, I posted on BlueSky that “we haven’t had a proper Premier League transfer hijack in a long time. Given Arsenal’s recent, unfortunate attacker predicament, now seems like a perfect time for Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta to get their GAZUMP on. Eze, Isak, someone else. I don’t care. The bigger and funnier, the better.”
If Arsenal do buy Eze, I will forever take credit for speaking it into existence.
It is tremendously funny. Maybe the funniest thing that could possibly have happened. Everything about it. That we’ve snatched him from Spurs. That he wants us more than them. It’s just *chef’s kiss* delicious. The only way it could get better is if Kai Havertz pulls a Paul Pierce wheelchair move to show up at Eze’s announcement. It still sucks that Kai Havertz is going to miss a yet unknown amount of time. The vibes were in the mud and this news is an excellent pick-me-up.
