Former France international William Gallas has fired a warning to Eberechi Eze ahead of his move to Arsenal. The playmaker is set to join the Gunners from Crystal Palace in a deal worth £67.5million, including add-ons.
Tottenham were previously in pole position to secure the signature of the England international, but an injury to Kai Havertz prompted Arsenal to dip back into the market for a forward and hijack their rivals’ deal.
Eze is capable of playing on either flank but predominantly thrives in the No. 10 role, but Gallas feels the 27-year-old may need to bide his time at the Emirates Stadium as he won’t be offered regular opportunities from the get-go.
He told Jackpot City Casino: “With Eberechi Eze, I think he had a great season with Crystal Palace, but I don’t think he’d be in a starting role with Arsenal. He could be in the future, but I’m not sure if he would be straight away. It depends on what Arsenal want to do, if they want to win the league, they need starters.
“Playing for Arsenal, even off the bench, is a chance to end the season as a Premier League winner, but it might mean you get less minutes. You can be a champion without starting many games or start every week for another club but not have a chance to win a trophy.”
The Gunners are also said to remain in the market for another winger, with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo admired – which Gallas fears could be further bad news for Eze. However, the ex-Arsenal defender is sceptical about whether the winger would decide to join his former club.
Instead, believes that Rodrygo will go to a club where he receives assurances that he is one of the first names on the team sheet, rather than at Arsenal where there is competition for places.
He concluded: “The talk on Rodrygo has gone quiet, but we all know that he would be in the starting eleven if he did join Arsenal, which means that there would be a player on the bench who was used to playing last season. If he ends up in the Premier League at some point, he would go to a club that gives him a chance to be a champion.”