- Published
The sound of fans being wowed by his football is something that has followed Eberechi Eze wherever he has played.
asserted
he → publish → Eze
The Arsenal forward is known for his off-the-cuff skill, maverick nature and entertaining style.
asserted
forward → know → skill
But lately, those familiar elements of Eze have been missing.
asserted
elements → miss → Eze
But replaced at half-time, having completed just nine passes and 22 touches of the ball, many have started to question whether he can reproduce the performances he was once known for.
asserted
he → replace → performances
The reasons for struggles and where he could start
This is not the first time Eze's role in the squad has been called into question.
uncertain
role → start → question
He switched off when Matty Cash scored Aston Villa's opener in their 2-1 defeat in December 2025 and, despite starting the following game, was left on the substitute's bench for the next four league matches.
And while the 28-year-old is a much-loved character around both the Arsenal and England squads, even Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel referenced how Eze was "coming back to his true shape and form" in training during the last international break - hinting that he has not been at his best so far this season.
asserted
he → switch → best
The reason Eze's performance is coming under scrutiny now is that the Gunners failed to land a new world-class attacker in the transfer window, despite being heavily interested in Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr and Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
asserted
Gunners → come → Jr
Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge in the summer and the Greek international had been the first-choice winger for Mikel Arteta this season, until he picked up a hamstring injury on international duty.
asserted
he → sign → duty
Tzolis being out of action presented an opportunity for Eze to break into the squad again, scoring in a start on the left wing against Lille in the Champions League - but he was unable to follow that up against Forest.
asserted
he → present → Forest
"I think that finding his role and position has been challenging," former Arsenal and England defender Matt Upson said.
asserted
Upson → think → role
"And when you come to a club with the stature and the quality of Arsenal, if you're not showing that you're nailing down a certain role, I think it's very very hard to maintain a position in the team.
asserted
it → come → team
"He's now filling in a bit on the left-hand side, which I don't think particularly suits him, but he's had to.
asserted
he → fill → him
"He doesn't play like a wide player for me and I think just knowing your role when you're at a club like Arsenal is so important."
asserted
you → play → Arsenal
Eze scored some spectacular goals in big moments when he was at Crystal Palace, including the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in 2025.
asserted
he → score → 2025
"I think all the high-end stuff that we saw from him which made him a player that Arsenal we're going to go and target, that's the icing on the cake," said Upson.
asserted
Upson → think → cake
"So when the foundation's not quite there in terms of the situations you're getting in and how quickly you get into the ball, where you are on the field, where your headspace is at about what your role is and what you've got to do, then it's hard to produce those moments that make you the top player."
asserted
you → get → moments
Eze shone from the left at Palace, but in his final two seasons in south London he operated from a narrower number 10 role.
asserted
he → shine → role
But with captain Martin Odegaard the first choice in that position at Arsenal and Arteta unlikely to start the pair regularly with the options he has available in the middle of the pitch, it means Eze's route into the team is limited.
asserted
route → start → team
Upson believes Eze must understand what is wanted from him.
asserted
what → believe → him
"It's almost a process for him if he wants to kind of grow into starting more matches for Arsenal," he said.
asserted
he → want → Arsenal
"I think figuring that out is really important and having that level of intensity, which I think has been an adjustment for him from where he's come from - into a big club, with a manager that they don't come more intense than really.
asserted
they → think → manager
"
What the stats say
There's an argument that Eze does not get a run in one position or a run of games to build momentum, but the stats show he gets a substantial amount of game time.
asserted
he → say → time
The Gunners played 63 matches last season and Eze started 36 of those (57%).
asserted
Eze → play → those
Since his debut for Arsenal in August 2025 he has started in 56% of games (40 out of 72).
asserted
he → start → 72
His 11 goals in 61 appearances have been scored across just eight games.
asserted
goals → score → games
And he has delivered some huge moments in an Arsenal shirt, scoring five against rivals Tottenham Hotspur across two Premier League matches, with a hat-trick in the home fixture - while he also scored winners against Newcastle and former club Crystal Palace as the Gunners won the title.
asserted
Gunners → deliver → title
Encouragingly for Eze and Arsenal fans, there are signs it still could click this season.
uncertain
it → be → Eze
Although the sample size is a lot smaller, Eze's numbers per 90 minutes this season are higher in assists (0.25), goals and assists combined (0.50), shots on target (0.74), dribbles completed (1.98) and touches in the opposition box (5.95) than the previous campaign.
asserted
numbers → combine → campaign
"We have some really good players and the expectations are so big for all of them," Arteta said.
asserted
Arteta → have → them
"And we want more from everybody.
asserted
we → want → everybody
"That is what is going to make us better individually and as a team.
asserted
us → go → team
I hope that continues as it is going to push all of us to reach different kind of levels and develop."
asserted
it → hope → levels
Arsenal face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday (20:00 BST).
asserted
Arsenal → face → Wednesday
The Aporia
