Why did Eberechi Eze reject Tottenham for Arsenal? How Spurs transfer fell through and who they could sign instead

Why did Eberechi Eze reject Tottenham for Arsenal? How Spurs transfer fell through and who they could sign instead originally appeared on The Sporting News

It felt for some time that Eberechi Eze would be a Tottenham player eventually, as all parties played the waiting game until the deal was complete.

Then, suddenly, Eze was signing for the club's biggest rival Arsenal, leaving Spurs fans and staff bewildered as to how they could lose such a quality transfer target to their chief adversaries.

A sudden deluge of reports on August 20 indicated that Arsenal had swooped in suddenly and made a last-gasp deal with Crystal Palace, one that Eze himself had been hoping would materialise.

The 27-year-old England international immediately reversed course and went along with the rising tide, as all parties agreed to a £67.5million (€78m) transfer that reflected his recently expired release clause. The Arsenal deal matched the one Spurs had prepared, and personal terms were reportedly swiftly agreed.

Now, with Eze set to undergo a medical, Tottenham fans are left wondering how this all took place. The Sporting News has compiled all the available information on the deal which took the Premier League community by storm.

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Why did Eberechi Eze reject Tottenham for Arsenal?

Piecing a number of different reports together, it becomes clear that several factors played a role in Arsenal swooping in so suddenly and effectively to derail Eberechi Eze's move to Tottenham and win the deal.

First, on the player's side, Eze reportedly has "an emotional affinity to Arsenal and favours them," according to Matt Law of The Telegraph. This is largely down to the fact that Eze began his career as an Arsenal youth player, before being released at 13 years old and bouncing around the academies of Fulham, Reading, and Millwall.

Arsenal also played their hand perfectly. According to Miguel Delaney of The Independent, the Gunners had quietly struck a deal with Crystal Palace as early as August 10, a full ten days before the move was revealed. Publicly, Arsenal maintained that they needed to generate funds from sales before they could make another purchase, but behind the scenes they continued to work on this potential deal.

Then, an injury to Kai Havertz forced Arsenal to spring into action. Delaney reports that Spurs believe Palace were intentionally stalling the deal to wait for Arsenal to come back in, hoping the competition would up the price. Palace originally told Spurs they wanted to complete the deal after Eze played in their Conference League opener on August 21, but did not hold the same stipulation once Arsenal made a move.

According to Delaney, Eze himself seemed convinced that the Arsenal move was off the table, and he was excited about joining Spurs. Yet when the Gunners finally acted, they were ultimately his "dream" destination.

Who will Tottenham sign instead of Eberechi Eze?

With Eze ultimately going to Arsenal, Tottenham have once again missed out on a transfer. It stings a bit more after the club also whiffed on Morgan Gibbs-White earlier in the window, with the Nottingham Forest man signing a new deal at the City Ground.

Tottenham must act fast, needing not only to improve the squad but also replace James Maddison who will miss the majority of the season with an ACL tear.

The most concrete reporting for Spurs has been around signing Manchester City winger Savinho, but that deal appears to have some significant roadblocks, none greater than the price as City are reportedly firm on asking for €80 million for the 21-year-old.

Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche could be a cheaper option, but even so, clubs will know Spurs are desperate and try to take advantage of the situation as the deadline looms.