“It’s not easy” – Arteta opens up as Arsenal star continues to struggle
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that summer signing Eberechi Eze is finding it difficult to make an impact.
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The attacking midfielder, who joined the club from Crystal Palace last summer in a big money move, has struggled to make an impact at Arsenal this season.
Since his hat-trick against Tottenham in the North London derby, the England international has failed to show his quality for Arteta’s side.
The 27-year-old has often found himself on the bench which shows that the manager does not have complete faith in his ability.
Even in Arsenal’s latest outing against Brentford, Eze was taken off at halftime and replaced with Martin Odegaard.
Mikel Arteta admits struggles for Eberechi Eze
Following the 1-1 draw against Brentford, which saw the Gunners lose two more points in the Premier League title race, Arteta said, as reported by Fabrizio Romano:
“It’s not easy when you move to a new club and when you play against a team that is like Brentford.
“The ball is a lot of times NOT on the floor and especially for creative players, it’s more difficult”.
Making the move from Palace to Arsenal has not been easy by any means for Eze.
At Palace, he was the star of the team and the focal point, everything went through him.
For Arsenal, he has a different role. He is one of the many players in the team who can make a difference, which means he sees less of the ball.
| Competition | Apps | Starts | Mins | Goals | Assists | xG | Rating |
| Premier League | 22 | 14 | 1,285 | 5 | 4 | 4.82 | 6.92 |
| Champions League | 6 | 5 | 410 | 1 | 2 | 0.95 | 7.05 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 1 | 115 | 0 | 1 | 0.30 | 6.60 |
| Carabao Cup | 3 | 3 | 250 | 2 | 0 | 1.10 | 7.25 |
| Total | 33 | 23 | 2,060 | 8 | 7 | 7.17 | 6.98 |
Eze’s stats at Arsenal this season
Eze is failing to make the desired impact
At times Arteta has tested him in the playmaker role, something he prefers, but even in that position, Eze has struggled to show his true game.
Against Brentford was the prime example. With Kai Havertz out injured and Odegaard on the bench, Eze could have taken a leadership role in the middle of the park but he was anonymous and did not have any impact on the game.
Five goals and four assists in the league are not bad numbers for a player who has been used in rotation but stats never tell the real story.
Eze has been underwhelming and it is clear to see that from his performances.
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