"A passenger": Peter Crouch says Mikel Arteta doesn't fancy Arsenal star with 9 passes yesterday

Former Premier League striker Peter Crouch believes manager Mikel Arteta does not fancy midfielder Eberechi Eze after he was substituted at half-time against Brentford yesterday.

The Gunners shared the spoils against the Bees in the Premier League. Noni Madueke opened the scoring in the 61st minute, but Keane Lewis-Potter equalised soon after.

They had a brilliant chance to win the game at the death through Gabriel Martinelli, but could have lost too. Speaking after the 1-1 draw, Crouch said that Eze was ‘a bit of a passenger’.

The former Liverpool marksman added that Arteta does not fancy him for some reason, which will damage his prospects of making the England squad ahead of the World Cup.

He told TNT Sports (via BBC Sport): “Eberechi Eze was a bit of a passenger. For some reason, it feels at the moment that Mikel Arteta doesn’t fancy him. For whatever reason. That is going to damage his England’s chances.”

Eze got the nod in the central attacking midfield role yesterday after Kai Havertz’s muscle injury. He had a tough opening half. He managed only 17 touches and nine successful passes.

The Englishman lost possession on only three occasions but was largely ineffective. He won just two out of five duels contested and did not manage a single shot or create a chance.

Hence, he was substituted at the interval with captain Martin Odegaard, who had just returned from an injury. The Norwegian contributed to a quick second-half start for the Gunners.

In our view, it was a hard-fought point secured at the Gtech Community Stadium. Arsenal have moved four points clear at the top of the table ahead of Manchester City after 26 matches.

They can extend the gap to seven points before the Cityzens play again. The Gunners have an extra game against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium next Wednesday.

Their immediate focus will turn to the FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. It won’t come as a surprise if Eze is dropped to the bench.

Odegaard could feature ahead of him. The club captain needs more minutes under his belt to boost his fitness after an injury lay-off. Bukayo Saka could likewise make the starting XI.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

The post "A passenger": Peter Crouch says Mikel Arteta doesn't fancy Arsenal star with 9 passes yesterday first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.