Eberechi Eze needs to show why Andrea Berta made the call to bring him to Arsenal

London – When Andrea Berta urged Arsenal to smash their late-summer deadline to pip Tottenham for Eberechi Eze’s signature, the £68 million outlay was framed as a coup that could tilt the balance of the capital. Four months on, the ledger still reads potential rather than proof.

Injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have hollowed out Mikel Arteta’s creative spine, leaving the 26-year-old as the last fully fit natural option in the advanced midfield role. It is the scenario every footballer craves: a clear runway and a demanding audience. Yet Eze’s recent body of work has done little to demand the spotlight.

Since his memorable hat-trick against Tottenham in September, the attacking midfielder has not started a single Premier League fixture, watching nine consecutive league games from the bench or the stands. The electric dribbles and fearless shooting that lit up that derby have been replaced by cameo flashes, raising the uncomfortable question of whether the Emirates faithful have already seen his high-water mark.

Havertz’s upward curve before a muscle strain – two goals and two assists in four matches – had squeezed Eze further down the pecking order. According to reports, the German will be sidelined for three to four weeks, removing the most direct competition for the No. 10 shirt and thrusting Eze back into the XI by default for Saturday’s trip to Brentford.

Arteta, already juggling a threadbare squad, needs more than mere availability; he needs the version of Eze that prompted Berta to champion a club-record fee. The Bees’ visit offers a stage bordered by urgency: three vital points, a chance to arrest momentum, and, for Eze, 90 minutes to remind supporters why the club moved so decisively ahead of their neighbours.

Teammates talk privately about the former Crystal Palace star’s sharpness in training, but reputations are forged on match day. Another fearless display akin to that Tottenham masterclass would not only steady a wobbling top-four push, it could finally unlock the consistency Arsenal thought they were buying.

Opportunity knocks loudest when options evaporate. For Eberechi Eze, the door is ajar; walking through it is now entirely up to him.