Eberechi Eze expected to undergo his Arsenal medical on Friday ahead of his £60m plus add-ons transfer to Arsenal. Set to be in the Palace squad first for tonight’s #UECL game against Fredrikstad before formalising the move.

Arsenal capture of Eberechi Eze may spark transfer misery for star who made deal happen

Arsenal are set to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace after hijacking Tottenham’s pursuit of the winger.

Arsenal have beaten north London rivals Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze

Arsenal have beaten north London rivals Tottenham to the signing of Eberechi Eze, with the forward expected to join the Gunners in the coming days. But the transfer could have dire consequences for Kai Havertz, with Arsenal only deciding to swoop for Eze after the German sustained a knee injury.

Arsenal were linked with their former academy player Eze earlier this summer after the 27-year-old lit up the Premier League last season. However, the Gunners initially stepped aside, with Tottenham making a move as they edged towards a deal. But just as it looked like Eze was heading to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal dived in with a bid of around £67.5million. And it appears the prospect of joining his boyhood club is too tempting for Eze to turn down.

Havertz came off the bench for half an hour as Arsenal defeated Manchester United in their Premier League opener on Sunday.

But he was absent as the Gunners held an open training session at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, with news of Arsenal’s pursuit of Eze hitting the headlines hours later.

Eze can play on either flank but thrives as a No. 10 and may be a direct threat to Havertz’s game time when the Germany international returns from his latest injury setback. And the former QPR player appears to offer a bigger threat than Havertz in the final third of the pitch.

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz is facing another spell on the sidelines

According to Opta, Eze had 61 shots in the Premier League last season, with Havertz only managing 44. Of those attempts, 29 were on target compared to Havertz’s 21.

Eze is a much more creative player than Havertz as well as he created 50 chances for his Palace team-mates last term, with Havertz only creating 14 goalscoring opportunities.

While Havertz managed one more goal in the Premier League than Eze – nine compared to eight – the Palace player contributed five more assists and also made 141 more accurate passes in the opposition half. And those numbers may be enough to convince Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta that Eze should start ahead of Havertz in the future.