Former Premier League striker Peter Crouch revealed that Arsenal’s attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze was ‘a bit of a passenger’ in Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Brentford.
Arsenal completed the £67.5 million signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace in the summer, making the England international the third-most expensive arrival in the club’s history behind Declan Rice and Nicolas Pépé.
His arrival generated huge excitement, and he etched his name into north London folklore with a stunning hat-trick against Tottenham November in November.
Since that explosive display, however, the 27-year-old has struggled for consistency. He has not found the net again, and, on what was his first Premier League start in nearly two months, he delivered an anonymous performance before being withdrawn at half-time.
It is becoming a recurring pattern. In his previous league start against Wolverhampton Wanderers, he lasted just 57 minutes, while at Aston Villa, he failed to make it past the interval.
Eberechi Eze was handed a rare Premier League start on Thursday night but lasted only 45 minutes as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
‘A bit of a passenger’
Former Liverpool, Stoke City and England international centre-forward Crouch was left unimpressed by his performances and revealed Martin Ødegaard offers more to the team than the former Palace man.
He said on TNT Sports: ‘I believe he hadn’t started in the last nine or something like that, so he got a start today, and you think, ‘Right, go and impress.’
‘Unfortunately, he just felt off the boil; he couldn’t get on the ball in the first half. It was difficult for Arsenal in general.
‘I felt for him. And he doesn’t give you what Odegaard gives you in pressing, and he doesn’t affect it when he hasn’t got the ball.
‘He was a bit of a passenger, if I’m being honest. We called it half an hour in that he was going to come off because, for some reason, it feels at the moment he [Mikel Arteta] doesn’t fancy him.
‘That is going to damage his, England’s, chances.’
Being taken off at the interval has only strengthened the sense that further Premier League starts between now and the campaign’s conclusion could be unlikely.
That said, Sunday’s FA Cup encounter with Wigan Athletic is expected to hand him a start, and how he performs against the League One side that are winless in six games.
