Eberechi Eze is Arsenal's most exciting signing since Mesut Ozil as £67.5m playmaker completes "career arc"

Eberechi Eze is Arsenal's most exciting signing since Mesut Ozil, and the England international has completed his "career arc" by returning to the North London giants, Charles Watts feels.

Eze was presented to the Emirates crowd before Saturday's 5-0 Premier League win over Leeds United after the Gunners hijacked Tottenham Hotspur's proposed move for the 27-year-old, who had long pined for a return to the red half of the city.

The playmaker was released by Arsenal as a 13-year-old but has now been the subject of a £67.5m transfer to Mikel Arteta's side, who rapidly agreed a deal with Palace for Eze after losing Kai Havertz to a knee injury.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Watts - who had championed Eze's move to Arsenal all summer - expressed his belief that the former Queens Park Rangers youngster was the most exciting player to arrive at the Emirates since fellow playmaker Ozil signed from Real Madrid in 2013.

Asked for his reaction to the Eze news, Watts replied: “Absolute delight. Mesut Ozil was the last signing which excited me at the level that Eze did. Ozil was such a groundbreaking deal for so many reasons because of the years that preceded it, the lack of money that Arsenal had spent. But this one, I just felt for so long he'd be absolutely perfect.

“I'd given up on my dream of it. I presumed like everyone else he was going to Tottenham. But to see Arsenal react like that added to my sense of delight over the way the whole thing was handled.

Eze Arsenal signing has "touched everyone" after Spurs expectation

“They’re insistent that it's not just because of Kai Havertz's injury - it wasn't just a pure reactionary move. It was something they'd been trying to work out if they could get a deal done for. To see them attack the market with such intent, it was a fantastic evening, on the back of the Havertz news.

“It reminded me that social media can be a fun place to be; it was a very fun place to be as an Arsenal fan on that Wednesday night! And it has been ever since. Everyone was buzzing for it. It’s been a really special few days as an Arsenal fan.

“The look on his face when he came out, how touched he was and the realisation of this dream, this career arc he's had of being released and then fighting so hard to get back there. Whenever you hear players talk about, why did you sign? ‘I want to play Champions League football’. Which is fine, but that interview Eze did with Ian Wright; the level of passion and desire to play for Arsenal. It’s impossible not to love it. A signing that’s touched everyone.”

Prior to Arsenal's hijack, Spurs had agreed an initial fee of £55m with Palace as they sought to sign Eze as a replacement for James Maddison, who could miss the entire 2025-26 season with the ACL injury he suffered in pre-season.

The ex-Palace man was understood to have been open to joining Spurs after Arsenal appeared to take a step back, but just before he was due to arrive at Hotspur Way, he contacted Arteta to understand if there was any way a move to the Gunners was still possible.

Tottenham fans on social media naturally reacted with disbelief and fury when the Eze to Arsenal news broke, with many targeting their frustrations at chairman Daniel Levy after the Lilywhites also failed to get a deal for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White over the line.

Is it wrong to go after Levy for failed Eze Spurs transfer?

On the other hand, there is the argument that Spurs did everything they could do to win the race for Eze, but the player just could not fight his deep emotional connection to Arsenal and would have chosen the Gunners over any other club.

Asked if it was unfair for Spurs fans to go after Levy, Watts added: "I can understand the frustration of it. James Maddison got injured how many weeks ago? But it does feel like Eze was doing everything he could to long it out and see if Arsenal would come back.

"On that day he was going to sign for Spurs, he made one last-ditch phone call to Mikel Arteta, basically saying is there any chance that you guys can firm up your interest?

“He was basically begging to sign for Arsenal. It is hard from a Tottenham point of view. If the player just does not want to come, if he's got his heart set on someone else, it is very hard to do it.

“But imagine being a Spurs fan; the player you think you're going to sign ends up going to Arsenal at the last minute. It's not quite Sol Campbell vibes, but it's not far off.”

Eze is expected to make his Arsenal debut when the Gunners take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, potentially as a starter on the left-hand side if Noni Madueke covers for the injured Bukayo Saka on the right.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Eze's move to Arsenal