Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he is happy with Eberechi Eze since his arrival to the club, but wants to the playmaker produce more “huge performances” that decide games of football.
The 27-year-old joined the Gunners from Crystal Palace in a deal worth up to £67.5 million in the summer transfer window.
Eze has been a relatively peripheral figure since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, however. It took him seven appearances before finding the net in the Premier League – the only goal of the game against Crystal Palace in October – before scoring a stupendous hat-trick against Spurs less than a month later.
The England international did not score another league goal until this past weekend, when he grabbed a brace in the 4-1 over Spurs.
Mikel Arteta wants more ‘huge’ moments from £67m Arsenal signing Eberechi Eze
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea, Arteta praised Eze’s mentality since joining Arsenal, but stressed that he wants to see more game-winning moments from him.
“You see how players react in relation to certain decisions you take,” he said. “When they have better games or certain difficulties. His role has been modified a few times throughout the season and his reaction has always been top, but it’s been tough to perform after which is what we need.
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“He’s been exceptional in the manner he is behaving every single day, but what we need now is that those manners are transformed into huge performances that decide football matches. That’s the reason we bought him.
“To understand him, you have to understand how he connects with other players and what are the connections we can build in and around him and the spaces he is more comfortable using.
“There are certain behaviours that he has changed dramatically into really positive things. In the end, you don’t know if you are going to see them in a week, or two, or in a month, but they are coming.”
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