Why Eberechi Eze is stuck behind Arsenal’s pecking order

When Eberechi Eze smashed in a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in November, it felt like a defining Arsenal moment, both for the player and the season.

Fast forward to late January, and the picture looks very different.

In Arsenal’s last six Premier League games, Eze has managed just 23 minutes of football. He was an unused substitute in four of them. For a £67m signing brought in to unlock tight games, that drop-off has raised eyebrows.

Arsenal moved decisively last summer to sign Eze from Crystal Palace, banking on his ability to beat players, shoot from range and create something out of nothing.

That’s why his limited involvement in recent 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool feels odd. In both matches, Arsenal dominated territory but struggled for a cutting edge — exactly the sort of games Eze was signed for.

Yet he played barely 10 minutes in each.

If he is not trusted when Arsenal need a spark, questions about his role in Mikel Arteta’s system are inevitable.

Eze has five goals and four assists in 26 appearances this season, but he has not scored since that Tottenham hat-trick. His only starts since the turn of the year have come in the FA Cup win at Portsmouth and the Champions League victory over Inter Milan.

One factor stands out above all others: the return of Martin Ødegaard.

Since regaining fitness at the end of November, Arsenal’s captain has started eight of the last 10 league games. Ødegaard and Eze occupy similar spaces, and starting both would almost certainly mean benching one of Declan Riceor Martin Zubimendi — a move Arteta has been reluctant to make.

That midfield balance has been central to Arsenal’s consistency this season.

Eze can also operate from the left, a role in which he thrived at Palace. But even there, his path has been blocked.

Leandro Trossard has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers, making it difficult for Arteta to justify change. Eze has also been trialled on the right of the midfield three, though without fully convincing.

Arteta has previously stressed that Eze’s intelligence allows him to play across the pitch.

“He is that intelligent and that good as a footballer that he can occupy any space,” Arteta said earlier this month. “I decide where he plays more based on the players around him than his position.”

That flexibility, however, has not yet translated into regular starts.

The last time Eze started on the left in the league, away at Aston Villa in December, he was caught out defensively for the opening goal in a 2-1 defeat. That moment appears to have lingered.

Arteta has insisted Eze’s attitude has been exemplary and that his hunger has “gone even higher” during this spell out of the side. Statistically, the forward has already played more football by January than at the same stage of last season.

Still, with Arsenal seven points clear at the top, unbeaten in the Champions League and alive in every competition, rotation opportunities are limited — and patience is wearing thin.

Eze is a favourite of Thomas Tuchel, but the England manager has made it clear that talent alone will not secure World Cup selection.

If Eze gets a rare start against Manchester United on Sunday, it may feel like a crossroads moment.

Because at £67m, being a good option off the bench was never meant to be the end game.

Arsenal are flying — but squad harmony at the top level depends on keeping big players engaged. Eze’s quality is undeniable. The question now is whether Arteta can reintegrate him without disrupting what already works.

Should Arteta force Eze back into the XI, or stick with what’s winning?