Revealed: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta met with Eberechi Eze a MONTH before hijacking Spurs move for Crystal Palace ace

According to The Daily Mail, Arteta and Berta held a secret meeting with Eze a month ago, long before Tottenham thought they had the deal in the bag. The forward was immediately convinced by Arteta’s vision and the prospect of lining up at The Emirates. The Gunners didn’t make a move at the time, having just splashed £63m ($85m) on Viktor Gyokeres, but the groundwork was already in place.

Tottenham believed they had Eze locked down after ten days of talks with Palace, agreeing on a package worth £55m ($74m) plus add-ons. On Wednesday morning, the deal was said to be virtually complete, with Eze’s personal terms also sorted. But Palace, reluctant to lose their talisman ahead of their Conference League play-off clash with Fredrikstad, delayed signing off on the deal. That hesitation opened the door for Arsenal. By Wednesday afternoon, Arsenal stormed in with a straight £60m offer, plus bonuses matching Eze's release clause of £68m, blowing Spurs’ negotiations out of the water. 

Arteta hadn’t planned to push for another attacker so soon, but the serious injury to Havertz forced a change of strategy. With Gabriel Jesus still sidelined and only Gyokeres fully fit, Arsenal needed another attacking outlet. Eze’s flair, versatility, and Premier League experience made him the perfect solution.

This is not the first time Tottenham have been left red-faced in the transfer market. Earlier this summer, they missed out on Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, another creative English midfielder who was high on their wishlist. Even attempts to sweeten the Eze deal by offering Richarlison as part of the package couldn’t shift Palace’s stance. To make matters worse, Spurs are also tracking Manchester City’s Brazilian winger Savinho, but City are digging in their heels and refusing to sell.