Eberechi Eze is one of the more bubbly players at Crystal Palace – and the England international has now used his charm to lure a close friend to SE25.
Just as Oliver Glasner has used his VfL Wolfsburg connections to bring Maxence Lacroix to Selhurst Park in a £30m deal, the Crystal Palace No.10 has now had a similar influence on recruitment in south London.
So, who has Eberechi Eze helped lure to Crystal Palace? Let’s take a look…
Eberechi Eze convinced Eddie Nketiah to join Crystal Palace
A story from the Daily Mail now states that Eze actually played a key role in Eddie Nketiah ignoring an offer from Nottingham Forest to instead join Crystal Palace.
It is said that sources told the Daily Mail a number of reasons as to why the England international saw his move to the City Ground collapse, with some claiming that Arsenal cancelled the striker’s medical after Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury.
However, Sami Mokbel states that Eze was actually “at the heart” of the situation.
The report mentions that the £17m man was influential in convincing Nketiah that Selhurst Park is the best place to relaunch his career after just ten Premier League starts for Arsenal last season, as the pair have a very close relationship.
Mokbel adds that staying in London also played a part in the 25-year-old’s decision.
How £30m man has performed alongside Crystal Palace No.10 previously
Nketiah and Eze have never played together at club level despite their close bond, although the pair have shared a pitch on 12 occasions for England across various age groups.
In those 12 games, the duo have combined to score two goals.
Eze assisted Nketiah for one, with the Arsenal No.14 setting up the man from Greenwich for the other as England won five of these 12 games, ranging from U20 level to the U23 ranks.
Hopefully, they can perform even better alongside each other at Selhurst Park.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Crystal Palace are expected to announce Nketiah imminently.
