Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze decided to snub Tottenham at the eleventh-hour and join Arsenal instead
Tottenham are left with nothing but a huge pile of embarrassment after the events that took place in the last 72 hours. The Lilywhites were on the verge of completing a deal for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze after weeks of negotiation. The North London club were keen to add the 27-year-old to their ranks, and the England international was also open to move to N17 after agreeing personal terms with the Lilywhites.
Looking from the outside, the deal to land the Crystal Palace attacker was going smoothly as we approached the last few days of the transfer window. But there were still a few details regarding the add-ons and bonuses that needed some sorting out as Daniel Levy tried hard to reach an agreement with the Eagles.
The delay in reaching an agreement between both clubs tempted Arsenal to come back into the market to lure Eze to the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners just lost Kai Havertz to a long-term injury and thought that it was the perfect time to test the waters for the 27-year-old’s signature. In just a matter of hours, Arsenal reached an agreement with the Eagles and convinced Eze to join Mikel Arteta’s side instead… leaving Spurs wondering what went wrong.
Tottenham managed to make a mess of the ‘Eberechi Eze’ deal
There is no doubt that fans will be furious about how this has played out for Tottenham. With only a few days remaining in the transfer market, the Lilywhites don’t even have the time to find a new player that has the same qualities as Eberechi Eze. And to make matters worse, Daniel Levy let Spurs’ arch rivals hijack the deal for their No.1 transfer target.
Now, ex-Spurs player Stephen Kelly is disappointed how the transfer saga played out for the Lilywhites. Speaking to the BBC, Kelly said,
“I’m absolutely gutted by the fact that they didn’t get it done. I feel like it just seems almost negligent. If Arsenal were in any way in the hunt, you needed to get in and get that deal done quickly. I don’t think it was something you could drag your feet on. It’s bad enough if it’s someone else, but when it’s the Gooners, it always cuts a little deeper.”
The ex-Spurs player added,
“It feels like Tottenham dropped the ball. It’s a tough one to take to be honest it really is. From a fan’s point of view and also from someone that’s actually watching the game, it just feels like it was a slip up from Tottenham’s behalf not to get that done.”
Stephen Kelly is ‘gutted’ that Tottenham failed to land Eberechi Eze, despite agreeing personal terms with the player. The ex-player wanted the Lilywhites to be proactive while handling the transfer as they lose a brilliant player to their arch rivals Arsenal. Kelly suggests that Spurs ‘dropped the ball’ and that it will take some time before the fans move on from the disappointment.
This should surely be the last nail in the coffin for Daniel levy, as far as the fans are concerned. The Spurs chairman has done more harm than good when it comes to making footballing decisions. After missing out on Eberechi Eze, Levy and Co. have already put Thomas Frank in jeopardy before the season has properly started.