Eberechi Eze’s historic north London derby debut was born out of his strong work ethic, manager Mikel Arteta revealed.
Eze became the first Arsenal player in nearly 47 years to score a hat-trick against their heated rivals. The Gunners brushed Tottenham Hotspur aside to go six points clear atop the Premier League table as the chaotic winter period heats up.
It was Eze’s best performance in an Arsenal shirt since moving for £67 million ($87.6 million) over the summer. The former Crystal Palace man has taken time to settle in while being used in multiple roles amid multiple injuries in the squad. Despite the circumstances, his manager believed his performance in the derby was more or less inevitable given what he saw from his No. 10 after the November break.
“He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train,” Arteta said.
“He wanted to come back and improve and ask questions. When you have such a talent and such intelligence and then you add that willingness to be better and practise, these things happen.”
How North London Derby Performance Affects Arsenal, Eze
Arteta discussed how Arsenal plan to maximise Eze’s potential after talking to England national team manager Thomas Tuchel.
“When I spoke to Thomas Tuchel [about Eze] I said, ‘How good is he?’ He said to me, ‘One of the best I have seen.’ I rate him one of the best in terms of talent,” Arteta said. “If we add in now his work-rate, willingness to play for this team and the joy I sense when he is in the building we have a special player.”
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry also put pressure on the club’s captain, Martin Ødegaard, given the competition for places in the squad.
“By the way, if I was Martin Ødegaard...” the former striker began on Sky Sports. “I said it, this guy [Eze] is a [No.] 10 for me, however you want to look at it. He’s not a winger, he’s a 10. He needs to be in the middle of the park and he showed it tonight.”
Eze has played as a left winger, left-sided No. 8 and No. 10 so far under Arteta. The Gunners don’t seem poised to move away from a Declan Rice-Martín Zubimendi double pivot, leaving one spot open in midfield.
Ødegaard’s injury troubles opened the door for Eze to play centrally. Once he’s fit and ready to return, Arteta has a big decision to make.
Eze Set to Clash With Former Teammate in Champions League
For all the praise Eze received after the derby, he and Arsenal don’t have time to rest on their laurels. Their victory over Spurs marked the start of a busy winter period with Champions League action on Wednesday bringing Bayern Munich to town.
The Bundesliga leaders are unbeaten in 18 games across all competitions and are top in the league phase. While Arsenal’s decade-spanning troubles against Bayern are well documented, Wednesday’s clash will be headlined by Eze facing off against his former Palace teammate Michael Olise.
Both are in strong form coming into the match with Olise powering the Bavarians to a 6–2 victory over SC Freiburg—the Frenchman had five goal contributions. He’s played across the frontline under Vincent Kompany, but Olise should line up as a No. 10 across Eze.
A loss won’t define Arsenal’s Champions League run, but a victory could propel them even further given a trip to Chelsea in the Premier League awaits them on Saturday.
Eberechi Eze vs. Michael Olise: 2025–26 Statistics
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Reveals Critical Eberechi Eze Moment in North London Derby Build-Up.
