VIDEO: Eberechi Eze christened as 'Snake Hips' by former team-mate as reason why so many footballers 'love' Arsenal's newest hero revealed

Eze is widely regarded as one of the top flight’s most gifted attackers, but he has had to work hard to put himself in this position. He was released by Arsenal, Fulham, Reading and Millwall as an academy player, before finding a loving home at QPR in the Championship. It was in west London where he rubbed shoulders with Onuoha for two seasons before the veteran defender headed to Major League Soccer to finish his career with Real Salt Lake.

Speaking on the Full Time Therapy podcast, Onuoha revealed how he was wary of Eze’s talent even at a young age, and how he is thrilled for his former team-mate to be thriving on football’s biggest stages.

"We used to call him ‘Snake Hips’!" Onuoha said. "He would just come towards you, give you one of these [shoulder drops] and you always take the bait on one of them. The reason why lots of people who have played with him speak so highly of him is because he’s a really good guy and he loves football. Like I saw him after the FA Cup final, and he’s like, ‘I can’t believe it, I never thought I’d be here’. All this stuff. This is someone at 27 where, in theory, the love of the game could have very well left the chat a long time ago. He adores it, a really good person."

Eze’s love of Arsenal made his release from the club as a teenager all the more heartbreaking. In a 2020 interview with The Independent, Eze said: "I was 13 [when I was released]. That was the worst one. I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it. Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again. We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager’s hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back."

Eze first joined QPR in 2016 and spent four years at Loftus Road before securing a Premier League move, joining Crystal Palace in the south of the capital city. It was at Palace where Eze made himself a household name in his home country, helping the Eagles up the table and eventually playing a starring role in their FA Cup triumph last season, securing the club’s first piece of major silverware.

Despite qualifying for Europe, Palace were expected to sell Eze over the summer amid fierce interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. It appeared as though he would head to Spurs after they spent weeks in talks with Palace, only for the Gunners to swoop in at the eleventh hour of negotiations to bring the boyhood supporter back to the Emirates Stadium.

So far, Eze has made six appearances for Arsenal and has quickly become a fan favourite, not least because of his decision to snub Spurs. He has scored once, the opening goal of  a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory at Port Vale, while he has registered two assists in the Premier League, including a stunning ball over the top for Gabriel Martinelli in the final minute of a 1-1 draw against Manchester City.

Eze is expected to feature frequently for Arsenal throughout the season and is expected to be among the key players in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for next summer’s World Cup. The Three Lions are closing in on qualification and will resume their quest for a spot in North America in October.