Eberechi Eze's place in Mikel Arteta's setup has come under fresh scrutiny following a subdued display in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Handed his first Premier League start of the campaign, the 28-year-old forward was withdrawn at half-time after registering just 22 touches and completing nine passes. With only one goal across nine appearances in all competitions this term, debate is mounting over whether the attacker can recapture his best form, having previously fallen out of the starting lineup for four consecutive league matches after losing focus during a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in December 2025.
The spotlight on Eze has intensified following a summer in which the Gunners failed to sign marquee transfer targets Vinicius Jr of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. Arsenal instead secured Greek international Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, who established himself as Arteta's first-choice winger until sustaining a hamstring injury on national team duty. While Tzolis' absence enabled Eze to start and score from the left wing against Lille in the Champions League, former Arsenal defender Matt Upson suggested playing wide presents structural difficulties. Upson noted that Eze is "filling in a bit on the left-hand side, which I don't think particularly suits him," particularly with club captain Martin Odegaard cementing the central number 10 position Eze occupied during his final two campaigns at Crystal Palace.
Upson also highlighted that adapting to Arteta's demanding tactical intensity remains an ongoing transition for the England international, who previously demonstrated his match-winning pedigree by striking the decisive goal for Palace in the 2025 FA Cup final against Manchester City. Even Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel remarked during the recent international break that Eze was "coming back to his true shape and form." Despite intermittent starts, Eze has featured extensively since his August 2025 debut, starting 40 of 72 matches (56%) and recording 11 goals in 61 total appearances—including five strikes across two derbies against Tottenham Hotspur, a home hat-trick, and decisive goals against Newcastle and Palace during Arsenal's title-winning campaign.
Encouragingly for Arsenal, underlying metrics show positive signals despite the small sample size. On a per-90-minute basis this season, Eze's numbers have improved on his previous campaign across assists (0.25), combined goals and assists (0.50), shots on target (0.74), completed dribbles (1.98), and touches in the opposition penalty area (5.95). Arteta remains resolute about maintaining elite performance levels across his squad, explaining: "We have some really good players and the expectations are so big for all of them. And we want more from everybody. That is the mindset. That is what is going to make us better individually and as a team." Eze will hope to prove his credentials as Arsenal prepare to host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday at 20:00 BST.