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Eberechi Eze told why he’ll never be picked as a number ten at Arsenal, ‘He doesn’t do it’
Nottingham Forest FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Eberechi Eze was the talk of the town yesterday for Arsenal fans but for the all the wrong reasons.

Eze was given the nod on the left-hand side of the attacking three but failed to deliver and was subsequently taken off at half-time for Noni Madueke.

In the end, it was the nightmare scenario for Eze as Madueke got the winner and he simply sat on the bench and looked on.

Now, former Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has suggested Eze is a problem for Mikel Arteta but explained just why the Gunners boss isn’t picking him.

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Eberechi Eze told why Mikel Arteta won’t play him at number ten

Arsenal paid £60m for Eberechi Eze and they will argue that having won the title in his first season at the club, his signing has been a success.

However, it is obvious that things aren’t clicking this season for Eze and according to Alan Pardew, it’s all down to how Mikel Arteta wants to play.

“In the way that he sets his No.10 up I don’t see Eze getting a lot of action there,” a worried Pardew told talkSPORT after the game.

“There’s a real defensive side to that position that he likes that Odegaard does and he doesn’t do it. I think Arteta doesn’t feel comfortable with that. I think there’s certain games against perhaps lesser opposition where Eze will be given that No.10 shirt.

“He wants to play centrally and make the game too narrow, therefore you’ve not got enough width. It is a problem and Arteta took him off rightly because it just wasn’t working.

“But in the first instance maybe he shouldn’t have picked him there and used him off the bench as an impact No.10.

“I think that will be his role, if he needs a goal I don’t think Eze will be a starter and if they need a moment or he’s looking for a moment to give him the last 10 or 15 minutes of games.”

What Ian Wright said about Eberechi Eze’s performance at Nottingham Forest

As we noted already, Eze’s poor performance got a lot of attention and rightly so. What comes next for the England man seems very much down to him and how he bounces back.

Indeed, speaking on the situation after the game, Ian Wright told Eze to simply do more and force the issue.

“If I’m Eberechi Eze, I’m looking at Arteta and thinking I’m not going to be involved all the time, so I need to almost force it myself,” Wright commented.

“He needs to trying to influence the game and take things into his own hands. If I’m Eze and I’m coming off after 75% possession without a shot or a chance created, I’m not happy. For me, he’s got to look at that and think ‘I’m going to do something myself here and force it’. I’d rather be taken off by the manager for trying something and giving the ball away and being told that I’m doing that, rather than contributing nothing and still being taken off.”

As it stands, it looks like he has lost his place in the XI to Noni Madueke. Only he can change that back and ensure he gets back into the thoughts of the manager again.

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