Eze's behaviour speaks volumes as Arsenal hijack Tottenham deal for Palace star

This summer has seen Premier League stars down tools to secure moves away, but Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze has kept his head down before sealing his dream transfer to Arsenal

Eberechi Eze’s professionalism for Crystal Palace despite knowing he's been likely to move on this month shows exactly the kind of character Arsenal are getting. The Palace talisman, 27, was seemingly set to join Tottenham until Wednesday night’s bombshell news that their north London rivals had hijacked the deal.

The Gunners had cooled their interest in the England international after agreeing a contract extension for 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. That opened up the floor for Spurs to emerge as favourites to land Eze, who was up for making the move but had preferred to join his boyhood club, Arsenal.

Several days of difficult negotiations followed between Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Palace co-owner Steve Parish over a fee, only for Arsenal to brutally cast their bitter rivals aside by agreeing a deal with the south London club. According to The Athletic, the Gunners submitted a bid in the region of Eze’s £68million release clause, which expired earlier this summer, matching the fee rivals Spurs were prepared to pay.

Arsenal then moved quickly to agree personal terms with the attacking midfielder. The Independent reports they had actually struck the principles of an agreement with Palace as early as the morning of Sunday, August 10, but did not appear to want to follow through on that agreement as they preferred to sign a left-winger - until forward Kai Havertz’s injury blow left them short offensively.

Eze is expected to undergo his medical after playing for Palace in Thursday’s Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad, which is likely to be his last game for the club he joined back in 2020. It demonstrates the same exemplary attitude and commitment the player has shown all summer long amid swirling rumours around his future.

Despite making it clear to Palace that he was open for a new challenge, Eze has not downed tools like various other Premier League stars we have seen in recent weeks, playing in both of their competitive games thus far, having already etched his name into club folklore by winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield.

Eze is now set to become Arsenal’s seventh signing of the window under new sporting director Andrea Berta. And given how vocal the player has been in the past about his love for the Gunners, it is likely he will give his all in an Arsenal shirt too.

Eze was once part of the north Londoners’ academy and has made no secret of his heartbreak when he was released as a 13-year-old. The then-teenager admitted he couldn’t focus on his training and was left “crying for a week” in his room.

Nevertheless, Eze’s affection for the Emirates Stadium outfit remained strong, as he stated in 2018 Thierry Henry was his idol and that Arsenal would win the league that season.

He said: "When I was younger, I used to love Thierry Henry, and that's sort of why I decided to sign for them. Just growing up playing for them, I've grown a love for them."

Eze is set for his 170th and final appearance for Palace, during which time he's scored 40 goals. He has been capped 12 times by England, scoring once.