The sensational hijacking of Tottenham’s contract with Arsenal’s Ebeki Eze falls to Gunners folklore as one of the most famous transfer coups in recent memory.
Meanwhile, Gunners sports director Andrea Berta has broken his rivals’ hearts and rounded out his already impressive debut window by securing a proven Premier League number 10 overnight.
Spurs had reached an agreement in principle with the palace and was about to sign Eze after agreeing to personal terms with the 27-year-old himself.
However, Kai Herberts’ injuries caused the people of North London to steal Eze from under Thomas Frank’s nose.
After laying a lot of foundations and badly linking for most of the summer, Arsenal moved to England International to match Tottenham’s bid.
A boyish Arsenal fan and former academy player, his choice was simple – a return to N5.
Reports earlier this month suggested that Eze’s “first preference” between clubs would always be Arsenal, so the former QPR star quickly took the bait when Mikel Arteta’s part informed her intentions.
The playmaker, who scored 14 goals and 11 assists in all palace competitions last season, is receiving medical care ahead of the £67.5m move back to Arsenal.
Tottenham kicks it by not causing Eze’s £68 million release clause when the acquisition expires on August 15th.
The “unusual” Tottenham demands at the palace caused the fear of Ebebeki Eze hijacking
Shedding more light on one of the stories in the Transfer Window, journalist Graeme Bailey shared an interesting background on the blockbuster deal.
Speaking to TBR Football, Tottenham felt something was incorrect when the palace made a “unusual” request, according to the reporter.
“I don’t think it necessarily hit the players or coaches so hard, but on Monday and Tuesday, the club really thought it would be happening with the Spurs.”
“On Tuesday, the Palace returned by certain standards – not quirky, it was a bit unusual, they felt something was wrong.
“I think nuisance is a wrong word – frustration. But obviously, Eze is the palace player they think is appropriate. At the end of the day, it’s not really frustration with the palace, as they were just looking for the best deal.
“Tottenham was willing to do the £68 million deal anyway. So, from a palace perspective, did they really care about one of the two he joined? I don’t think so. Neither of them are specific rivals.
Palace originally planned that Eze would feature in a 1-0 conference league playoff victory against Fredrikstad on Thursday night, but the players ended up not taking part.
His switch to Arsenal is currently imminent, and an announcement is expected soon.
