The movement of £ 67.5 million Eberrechi Eze of Crystal Palace al Arsenal is a perfect example of how a football race is not always a linear trip.
The 27 -year -old England is back in his childhood club, where he was released from the academy at age 13 and was also fired from Fulham, Reading and Millwall's youth configurations. He has achieved what most professional soccer players dream, even if they have arrived in an unconventional way. Being rejected by a club is nothing new, be it a player who is 17 or 18 years old, or someone who is 25 years old. It is part of the game. What matters most is how a player responds.
He was the captain of Eze in Queens Park Rangers when he arrived at Loftus Road when he was a teenager in 2016, and we could immediately say that he was a unique player. Me and some other senior players that we had played in the Premier League before, including former Wolverhampton Winderers Karl Henry pattern and defender James Perge, commented at that time how different their style was.
You could never approach a duel with him halfway because you would quickly be ashamed. This is when we returned to the championship, and Eze was probably one of the first players that QPR had at that time that he could almost manipulate a game alone. He was so young and, of course, there were things to refine, inside and outside the ball, but the talent was more than evident.
However, that is not what really distinguishes Eze.
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To put it in perspective, each player who has gone through a Premier League academy has talent. But beyond that talent, there must be an understanding of how to be close to the coaches, how to interact with teammates, how to contribute to the field so that it goes beyond skill.
What made Eze different from such an early age was that he is a really good and honest guy who really loves the football game. There was never an attitude problem. For him, development was more a matter of understanding the levels of professionalism required to be consistently effective. And, over time, you could see that I wanted to learn every day, do more to learn your trade. Best of all, it was a pleasure to play because I just wanted to be the best it could be.
Football is Eze's happy place, either looking, playing or supporting his teammates. Even after becoming a player of the first team in QPR, what he did after a short loan period in Liga Dos in Wycombe Wanderers in 2017, he would still go and see the game U18 and U20. I just wanted to be out there. That attitude made him extremely easy to train and be a mentor. Many young players have talent, but some become obsessed with themselves and think that they deserve everything, more beginnings, new contracts, but that is rarely that reality.
No Eze. Even now, you can separate it and talk to him about anything. And although now it has a different perspective, after having reached the heights that others do not have, they still want to listen. Appreciate the fact that you care, that you are trying to help, and is anxious to learn and improve. For everything he has achieved, he knows that he can still improve.
That was clear when Eze left QPR for Palace in 2020, and with him a transfer to the Premier League. In Selhurst Park, he was under Roy Hodgson's tutelage, someone very meticulous about how they want their teams to play, both with and without the ball. Even then, Eze did not believe he had “succeeded.” In many ways, joining Palace in the Premier League was an even greater jump to move from an academy to the professional ranks.
There was a period of adjustment, there is always, and Eze had to fight against a serious Achilles injury at the beginning of his career in the palace. But that positive attitude and their faith shone again.
As in academies, pure talent is not enough to succeed in the Premier League; Everything is reduced to small things. For Eze, every day was like a sponge, anxious to listen and absorb the knowledge of those who had done it before. From coaches to physical conditioning personnel, to extra work in the gym: he promised to all. Playing at the highest level was what I wanted most, and I knew I couldn't do it alone. He leaned on those around him.
He felt like a star at that time, and over time, he has only become that even more. That is what distinguishes Eze. There is no ego, just a genuine love for the game and the appreciation for his teammates. Do not be misunderstood: you will do whatever you need to help your team win. But deep down, he is someone who only wants the ball at his feet and play football in the right way.
There is also humility. When I talked to him in Wembley's field after scoring the winning goal against Manchester City to help Palace to lift the FA Cup in May, the first important trophy in the club's history still did not want to give anything for granted. To be there, act for all those fans, and to have that moment, he said he only felt a great sense of pride: “Palacio. We did this,” he said. “We did this. “He summed up who is as a person, because although he could look back in his own personal story, he never wanted to do it for him.
For me and for all those who were Eze teammates in QPR, none of us are surprised that you have reached the highest level. More importantly, you will not find anyone from their past clubs that are not absolutely on the moon for him now that he returns to Arsenal. This is something he has worked for, something we all feel like. And he knows there is more to come.
