Sportsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Arteta Replaces Eberechi Eze After Arsenal’s 1-0 Win Over Nottingham Forest
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Eze started vs Forest and was hooked at half-time. Arsenal reportedly paid up to £70m for Eze, with doubts over fit.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Eze’s Arsenal role questioned
Eberechi Eze’s struggles at Arsenal have sharpened after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, when he made his first Premier League start of the season and was replaced at half-time. Eze completed just nine passes and had 22 touches before Arteta hooked him, and the BBC framed the moment as part of a wider question over whether he can reproduce the performances he was once known for. Thomas Tuchel referenced how Eze was "coming back to his true shape and form" in training during the last international break, but the BBC said Eze’s familiar elements have been missing lately.
Matt Upson said, "I think that finding his role and position has been challenging," and he added that Arsenal’s stature makes it "very very hard to maintain a position in the team" if a player is not nailing down a role. Upson pointed to Eze’s earlier impact at Crystal Palace, including the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in 2025, as the kind of high-end moment Arsenal expected when they targeted him.
Arteta’s decision and debate
Arteta explained the half-time change by saying, "I wanted something else, and we needed a different sort of profile on the left-hand side," after Eze was substituted against Forest. Arteta added, "This was different because what the game required was different," and he said Arsenal felt they had to change it. Paul Merson told Sky Sports that Eze is "a prime example" of how "It’s so, so different" playing for a big team, and he argued that Eze cannot be a free spirit at Arsenal.
TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Graeme Bailey insisted Arsenal know that Eze "isn't the answer on the left-hand side" and said Eze could be lucky to get another league start before Christmas. The Yardbarker account said Eze started on the left against Nottingham Forest and was replaced at half-time after struggling to influence the game, with Noni Madueke coming on and later scoring the winner.
Striker options and next steps
Arsenal’s attacking concerns are also tied to a wider scoring drought, with roundtable.io saying Arsenal have gone seven games since either of their senior strikers have found the back of the net. roundtable.io said Kai Havertz’ goal against Chelsea was the last, and it added that the pair have scored just three goals between them this season in all competitions for Arsenal, all of which have come from Havertz. Arteta told reporters that Havertz has the ability to score, saying, "I think he has (the ability to score 25 goals a season)."
Arteta also described Viktor Gyökeres as an option to play, saying, "And that’s Viktor every single day, regardless of his position, whether he scores a goal or not." With Arsenal still trying to work out where Eze is most effective, Yardbarker said Martin Odegaard remains the natural No.10 and that Arteta appears reluctant to use Eze regularly from the left because he naturally drifts inside rather than providing width.