Eberechi Eze: Arsenal’s £67m buyout is now struggling to get minutes

Eze has scored five goals and four assists in 26 appearances for Arsenal this season, but has not scored since that hat-trick against Tottenham.

The 27-year-old’s only appearances since the turn of the year were the FA Cup win over Portsmouth on January 11 and the Champions League win over Inter Milan last Tuesday.

Eze played 64 minutes at the San Siro and had a big involvement in Arsenal’s opener in the 3-1 win, but it was not a good performance from the England striker.

One of the biggest reasons why Eze has found it difficult to return to the starting lineup is the return of Martin Odegaard.

The Arsenal captain returned to fitness at the end of November and has started eight of their 10 Premier League matches since then.

Odegaard and Eze play in similar positions, and if Arteta were to start them both, as he did against West Ham in October, it would mean one of Declan Rice or Martin Zobimendi would have to sit on the bench – unlikely given how important those two are to Arsenal.

Eze can also play on the left wing, with his best performances for his former club Crystal Palace coming from that side, albeit from a narrower No.10 position.

But his path into the team there has been limited by the impressive form of Leandro Trossard, who has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season.

It’s something Arteta has previously admitted, but that doesn’t mean Eze can’t excel elsewhere on the pitch – as he has also been used on the right side of Arsenal’s midfield three.

“He is smart and good as a footballer, and he can occupy any space,” Arteta said before the 0-0 draw with Liverpool. “I am more driven to determine where he plays in relation to the players around him than his position.”

Eze has had limited involvements from the left wing, and the last time Arteta played there, at Aston Villa on December 6, he was at fault for their opening goal in a 2-1 defeat after failing to track right-back Matty Cash.

Arteta said that during his time outside the team, Eze had been exceptional, and that his desire had risen “so high”.

At the turn of the year, the manager said Eze had played more football than he had at the same stage in any previous season.

That’s true of his Premier League career – by January, he had appeared in five more games and logged 75 more minutes than he did last season at Palace, although he had played twice more at that point for QPR in the Championship in 2019-20.

The Gunners are having an excellent season, seven points clear in the Premier League, and boasting a 100% record in the Champions League.

They also hold a 3-2 lead over Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final and qualify for the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Eze still gets game time, albeit not on a regular basis in the Premier League.

He is a favorite of coach Thomas Tuchel and hopes to be in England’s World Cup squad – but the Three Lions boss has previously said it is not enough to just be a good team-mate.

This will play in Ez’s mind.

If the striker is given a rare start against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, he will need to show why Arsenal spent £67m on him.