Eberechi Eze spoke to Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of the 'Beast Mode on Podcast', opening up on the only difference between representing Crystal Palace and wearing the colours of Arsenal, the club that took him in as a child and eventually returned for him in a £60 million deal this summer. The 27-year-old midfielder, released by Arsenal at 13 and later rejected by Millwall at the end of his youth scholarship, has come full circle by rejoining the club he supported as a boy.
Realising his boyhood dream
Eze opened up on his new life at the Emirates in the latest episode of GOAL’s Beast Mode On podcast. The Gunners triggered a package worth £60m, including £8m in add-ons in the summer, beating Tottenham to a player long admired across north London. Spurs believed they had secured Eze's services, having agreed terms with Palace and with the player’s representatives, until a dramatic late twist saw Arsenal walk away with the prized asset. Their move was only made possible after Eze himself phoned Mikel Arteta to check whether the door to the Emirates was truly closed. It wasn’t, and within hours, Arteta called an internal meeting, the board approved the deal, and Spurs were left stunned. Eze signed a four-year contract, with the option of an additional season, and now inherits Arsenal’s iconic No. 10 shirt, which was previously worn by legends such as Dennis Bergkamp and Mesut Ozil, and academy favourites Jack Wilshere and Emile Smith Rowe.
AdvertisementGOALEze's take on the difference between Arsenal & Palace
Speaking exclusively to GOAL's Beast Mode On podcast, Eze said: "It’s up a level in terms of attention. There's a lot more surrounding Arsenal than there is surrounding Palace. You have to consider so much more. There's a lot more eyes on you. You get noticed a bit more."
While the off-pitch scrutiny has increased, he insisted that the football itself remains on a similar level.
"It's different off the football pitch, on the pitch it’s the same," he said. "Playing the same game, you're playing to win, you're having the same types of conversations. Different processes and systems, but still the same principle. But yeah, off the pitch is a big shift and I feel like that's a natural progression in football as you move club, move upwards. Things start to shift a bit, so this was expected. But it’s something I'm enjoying, I'm trying to handle with grace. So it's a blessing."
The long road back to the top
Eze’s path back to Arsenal is a fairytale. He first joined the Gunners at eight years old, only to be released five years later. After spells with Fulham, Reading and eventually Millwall, where he failed to earn a professional contract, his future seemed on the brink of collapse. A chance trial at Queens Park Rangers changed everything. Technical director Chris Ramsey was instantly convinced, offering the playmaker a contract that would become a lifeline. A productive loan at Wycombe Wanderers helped Eze develop his craft before he flourished at Loftus Road.
He went on to make 104 league appearances for QPR, prompting Crystal Palace to pay around £17 million in 2020. Eze made himself indispensable at Selhurst Park across five influential seasons, culminating in scoring the winner in last year’s FA Cup final. That success sparked a wave of interest, with Tottenham first, then, decisively, Arsenal.
Reflecting on the first major leap in his career, Eze admitted that going from QPR to Crystal Palace was an overwhelming experience.
"Shock. The intensity that you're playing at and the quality of players," he said. "They're thinking faster, they're more technically able. So things that maybe took two or three seconds in the Championship are now taking one-and-a-half seconds. You’ve got to be quicker in how you’re processing information. So for me going up, my mind was being stretched – as it is now – moving into a new environment. You're learning and you're being forced… you’re being put into an uncomfortable state. You’ve got to figure out, which was good. I felt like I needed that at that time.
“But of course, as time goes on, you start to acclimatise, feel more comfortable, and then you start being able to be your full self in that environment, which is for me, that's what I love about football.”
Watch the full episode
