Eberechi Eze is now expected to start Crystal Palace’s first game of the Premier League season against Chelsea, after initial reports suggested the attacking midfielder would be left out amid ongoing interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal have also linked to Eze, whose stock has risen significantly over the past 12 months due to the club’s progress under Oliver Glasner.
Both clubs passed up the opportunity to trigger Eze’s £67.5 million ($91.5 million) release clause, which expired on Thursday, but Spurs are expected to pursue a deal before the transfer window slams shut on Sept. 1.
It had been suggested that Eze would not feature at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with talks still going on in the background, but The Times report that he will in fact be involved—a stance that was backed up by The Athletic soon after.
Palace are understood to be seeking potential replacements for Eze, with the expectation being that the 27-year-old will leave Selhurst Park in order to further his career.
Eze is keen on joining Tottenham, who are looking to strengthen new manager Thomas Frank’s attacking options after James Maddison was ruled out for the majority of the 2025–26 season after suffering a torn ACL.
Spurs have also allowed Son Heung-min to join LAFC over the past couple of weeks, though they’ve recruited well to bring in Mohammed Kudus from London rivals West Ham United and Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, this time on a permanent basis.
Should Eze depart Palace, the Eagles will pocket a significant profit on a player they signed from Queens Park Rangers for around £17 million in 2020. He’s since gone on to make 167 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 40 goals, becoming a talismanic figure after the departure of Wilfried Zaha to Galatasaray in 2023.
Eze also has 11 international caps for England under his belt, with his sole goal coming in a 3-0 win over Latvia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eberechi Eze: Crystal Palace ‘Expected’ to Perform U-Turn on Tottenham Target.
