Eze upgrade: Arsenal gem who left for £0 is now "one of the world's best"
da imperador bet： It’s been a spectacular summer for Arsenal this year.
da pixbet： Mikel Arteta’s side might not be favourites for the Premier League, but the club have backed them in a big way in the transfer market.
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, and even Noni Madueke could all be incredible signings, but perhaps the most exciting of them all is Eberechi Eze.
The Englishman feels like just the player the Gunners have needed, although he’s still worth less than someone the club lost years ago.
Eze's return to Arsenal
Apart from being an outstanding player, one of the primary reasons Eze’s move to Arsenal feels so momentous is that the club released him as a youngster.
Over the following years, he would be released by Millwall, Fulham and Reading, rejected by Bristol City and Sunderland, and face the very real possibility of not making it in professional football.
Fortunately, he finally got his break with Queens Park Rangers, and following a successful loan spell with Wycombe Wanderers, he enjoyed a full campaign in the first team in the 18/19 season.
A couple of years later, he moved to Crystal Palace for around £8m, and over the following five years would amass a stellar haul of 40 goals and 28 assists in 169 games, despite suffering several injury setbacks, including an ACL injury.
So, when it was announced that Arsenal had signed him for £68m last month, it was more than a normal transfer; it was a homecoming and a righting of the wrong that saw him leave North London all those years ago.
Eze’s Palace record
Appearances
169
Minutes
12089′
Goals
40
Assists
28
Goal Involvements per Match
0.40
Minutes per Goal Involvements
177.77′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Unfortunately, though, the Gunners do not get to correct every mistake they make, as another youngster who was let go is now worth even more than Eze.
The former Arsenal gem now worth more than Eze
Even though Arsenal have a brilliant record of producing and bringing through young talents, they’ve also been guilty of losing a host of future superstars.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
This is the case with Michael Olise, as before he moved to Chelsea’s academy, he spent time in the Gunners’ youth setup, and to say the club missed out on a great player would be an understatement.
After being released by the Blues in 2016 and spending time with Manchester City’s youth setup, he joined Reading in 2017, followed by Crystal Palace in 2021.
While he suffered from his fair share of injuries in South London, the young Frenchman more than proved himself, scoring 16 goals and providing 25 assists in 90 appearances, more than validating Oliver Glasner’s claim that he’s “one of the best talents in the world.”
After impressing south of the river for a few years, Bayern Munich came calling and paid the Eagles £50m for his services last summer.
Since moving to the German giants, the game-changing winger has more than lived up to his price tag, winning the league and scoring 24 goals and providing 23 assists in 54 appearances.
With such a brilliant start to life in Germany, it’s hardly a surprise to see that the CIES Football Observatory has valued him at 102m, which is about £88m, or £20m more than Eze cost the Gunners.
Ultimately, Arsenal should be delighted with signing the former Crystal Palace star this summer, but we can’t help but wonder how much more dangerous they’d be with Olise in the side as well.
