The silky midfielder has made the move across London, and there is a sense that he could be the final piece in Mikel Arteta’s jigsaw.
A boyhood Arsenal fan, Eze was released from their academy at 13 years old, and this feels like a homecoming - and a second chance - for the man from London.
"Arsenal was probably the hardest. Hearing them say no at 13 was tough. I remember training after I got released, and I couldn’t focus because I was crying,” Eze said in 2022.
Supporters have taken to Eze due to the fact that he is one of them. From being a child growing up dreaming of wearing the famous red and white to making it a reality, they are all on board with his story.
Couple that with the fact that they hijacked Spurs’ move for him, which looked on the cusp of being complete, and he has become an instant fan favourite.
Eze always wanted the move to Arsenal. Despite accepting a transfer to their arch-rivals, he was waiting for the Gunners to firm up their long-standing interest in him. And once they did in the wake of Kai Havertz’s injury, the 27-year-old had no doubt over which side of North London he was heading to.
So, while from an emotional point of view, the signing makes sense, from a footballing perspective, every single thing about this is also perfect.
It is widely accepted that Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes forming a formidable centre-back partnership, while David Raya has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers around.
Last season, Arsenal conceded the least amount of goals in the league (34), and Raya won his second consecutive Golden Glove award after registering 13 clean sheets.
The issues for Arteta’s men lay at the other end of the pitch.
Arsenal scored 69 goals in the league in 2024/25, 17 fewer than Liverpool and three fewer than a struggling Manchester City. On top of that, they didn't have a single player score double-digit goals.
But the most damning stat is that they drew a whopping 14 games. Remarkably, only the bottom seven drew more than Arsenal.
Simply put, they weren’t losing many matches, but they were struggling to find game-winning goals to turn draws into victories. They almost became too reliant on their set-piece prowess, which has become a legitimately prolific way for them to hit the back of the net.
A large reason for that was the lack of a clinical centre forward to take the chances that they created. In fact, rewind two seasons, when Arsenal lost a crucial home game to Aston Villa 2-0 during the title run-in, where they missed a bucketload of opportunities in the first half.
As a result, they spent £63.5 million on Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, who bagged 54 goals in all competitions last campaign.
Arsenal needed an X-factor
Of course, time will tell whether he can replicate that goal-scoring form in England, but Arteta has attempted to correct their issues with a man who knows where the back of the goal is.
But another aspect that also went under the radar, because of the absence of a proper centre forward, was simply Arsenal lacking a bit of X-factor.
They don't have a maverick in the final third who is capable of opening up defences with a driving, daring run, or who can conjure up a bit of magic out of nothing.
Enter, Eberechi Eze.
Eze fits that profile to perfection. A wondrous talent who makes the beautiful game look so easy, he glides effortlessly around the pitch, not afraid to be direct, take on defenders and attempt to turn a game on its head with some individuality and creativity.
He is a match-winner, as proven by Crystal Palace’s FA Cup run last season. The Englishman scored the winner against Manchester City in the final, as well as bagging in the quarter-final and semi-final.
Last season, he attempted the joint seventh most dribbles in the Premier League (135), completing the fifth most (67).
Compared to the Arsenal players leading the way, Gabriel Martinelli attempted 100, while Bukayo Saka completed 41. Eze is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone at the club, and he adds something they do not have.
Additionally, Eze had eight assists in the league, the same number as Odegaard and three fewer than Saka. He also created 58 chances, which was just one fewer than Declan Rice and five fewer than Odegaard.
Another positive trait about Eze is that he isn't afraid to fire a shot at goal. One major criticism of Arsenal is that they always look to find the perfect pass and don't take up good opportunities to test the keeper from long range.
Eze took the 13th most shots in the Premier League last season (61). Havertz and Trossard took 44 each, Saka 41 and Odegaard a measly 30.
Of course, regarding these figures, Eze did play 2,603 minutes, compared to the likes of Odegaard’s 2,332 and Saka’s 1,736. However, bear in mind that he played in a Palace team that had less of the ball and focused more on soaking up the pressure and hitting opponents on the counterattack.
In an outfit like Arsenal, where they are going to have the majority of possession against 90% of teams in the league, Eze is likely to have significantly more impact and conjure up more opportunities, and his numbers should skyrocket.
The next question is, how does he fit into the Arsenal set-up? In all likelihood, he will play out on the left wing in place of Martinelli, who has been a shadow of the player he was two seasons ago.
In a similar number of league games, Eze racked up eight goals and assists last season, while Martinelli hit eight and four.
Eze’s best position is certainly more central, and he thrived in a left number 10 role under Oliver Glasner. So if he is to play on the left, he will have to be given freedom to come into the middle of the pitch to weave his magic, something wingers under Arteta haven’t often done.
As a result, Riccardo Calafiori’s role at left back will be doubly important, as he will need to provide width and overlap Eze.
But is there a way he could play centrally? It is unlikely, as club captain and playmaker Odegaard is not going to be dropped, even if Arsenal fans think that should be the case.
Perhaps Eze will be used as an impact player, brought on late in games for Odegaard to help unlock doors that refuse to open. Additionally, the Norwegian endured a really tough 2024/25 campaign, so having some actual competition and putting pressure on him could help up his game.
Interestingly, Eze could be thrown straight into the deep end, with a potential debut next weekend at the home of the champions, Liverpool.
Regardless of whether he starts at Anfield or not, the exciting acquisition has unified the fan base, and confidence levels have dramatically risen.
If he can help the club of his dreams to a first Premier League title since 2004, the redemption arc, full of rejection and heartbreak, will truly be complete - and spectacularly so.