Is Crystal Palace the perfect environment for Eberechi Eze to thrive?
Crystal Palace head into Saturday's FA Cup final full of confidence after their 2-0 win over Tottenham last weekend — a result that not only secured a league double over Spurs for the first time, but also saw them match their highest ever Premier League points total of 49.
Eberechi Eze was the star of the show as his brace sealed the points for Palace, who will be counting on a similar display from their talisman on Saturday if they're to lift the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
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On the latest episode of The Totally Football Show, James Richardson was joined by Jay Harris and Adrian Clarke to discuss Eze's impressive performance and whether the 26-year-old should be looking to move on this summer.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on The Totally Football Show feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
James: Eberechi Eze was impressive again with the brace that sealed the win wasn't he?
Jay: Chess Master Eberechi Eze…
James: Chess Master yeah, that's a great story isn't it?
Jay: It's a very cool story.
James: There's a wonderful piece on The Athletic which people can read that will tell you all about this. It's a lovely piece too because it's such an unusual story. Eze entered a celebrity online chess competition and apparently had to battle through a few qualifying rounds to reach the final 20-player round, which he won. He also won £15,000…
Jay: Not that he needs it…
James: You're right. Not that he needs it but he did win the competition which is impressive. Also in the piece it's revealed that he only started learning from Jean-Philippe Mateta, meaning it couldn't have even been long ago that he started learning.
Jay: Exactly. I do need to give Eze some praise as well. I've said to friends for a long time that he's one of the footballers I enjoy watching the most. The way he glides across the pitch is beautiful, it's so graceful and he's great to watch. For his second goal in particular, he picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch, played a beautiful pass out to Ismaila Sarr, sprinted into the box and was there when Sarr's shot was blocked by Djed Spence. He finished it with such confidence and he was in the right place — he's just such a clever and intelligent footballer. I feel like sometimes his momentum seems to be disrupted by the odd injury here and there, but when he's in full flow he's amazing to watch.
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Inevitably people will talk about whether he should move in the summer and join a 'bigger club'. But firstly, he has got a great opportunity to win silverware with Crystal Palace on Saturday. And you do wonder with players like Eze if they're just better suited to being the heartbeat of a 'smaller side,' rather than going to a bigger team and maybe having less of an influence. He flourishes because the system is built in a way that suits his strengths. So I just wonder whether he would lose some of his individuality if he moved to a different team, because Jack Grealish is the prime case study for this.
Adrian: Oliver Glasner's style of play really suits him. They've got that box in midfield with those progressive midfielders who play early passes into the No. 10s where Eze is. But I think it will be now or never for Eze to get a move, won't it? He's getting to that age where if he did want to move on now would probably be the time because his value might start to depreciate.
Jay: He's 27 in June, so actually maybe even next year he could get a move.
Adrian: Right, and I really think he could play and thrive in the Champions League. We talked earlier about Trent Alexander-Arnold earlier and how you only have one career. I think Eze's talent — like Michael Olise, his old mate who was equally good at Palace — belongs in the Champions League. Olise's been smashing it up in the Champions League, and I think Eze deserves to play at that level, too. So it's going to be fascinating to see where he does land.
James: If he goes to Spurs or Man United, he could be playing in the Champions League next season…
Adrian: Stranger things have happened…
Jay: His contract runs out in 2027 as well, and the two-year point is always the one where players normally decide whether they're going to stay and sign a new deal or whether they're going to leave, so time will tell.
You can listen to full episodes of The Totally Football Show for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Top Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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