£67.5m Arsenal star still without a Premier League start this term

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Eberechi Eze has not started a single Premier League match for Arsenal this season, and the underlying numbers behind that call make for stark reading.

The 28-year-old arrived from Crystal Palace for £67.5million in a move that beat Tottenham to his signature, with the club viewing him as a potential difference-maker in the final third. So far this campaign, he has logged just 233 minutes across all competitions.

The numbers behind the drop

Analysis from football.london lays out where Eze currently sits in comparison to his teammates. He is creating 1.16 chances per 90 minutes, behind Christos Tzolis on 2.37 and Martin Odegaard on 3.00 (2.84 from open play).

Eze is also yet to register a shot on target this season, with his shot volume down to 1.55 per 90 from 2.45 last term. He is attempting more dribbles than ever — 4.25 per 90 compared to 2.43 last season, and more than double Tzolis' 1.83 — but completing fewer of them, with his successful dribbles per 90 dipping from 1.24 to 1.16.

One number does move in the other direction. Eze is averaging 4.3 touches in the opposition box per 90, up from 3.0 during a debut campaign that yielded 10 goals and six assists in 54 appearances.

Competition on the left

The departures of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli opened up the left flank, but it is Tzolis who has taken ownership of the shirt. The Greece international has added a goal and an assist for his country during the international break, with Greece topping their Nations League group.

Eze's international standing has shifted too. Morgan Gibbs-White, a late addition to Thomas Tuchel's squad, was introduced ahead of him at left-wing during England's 3-2 Nations League defeat to Spain at Wembley on Saturday.

At Palace, Eze operated as a left-sided No.10 in Oliver Glasner's 3-4-2-1, a system built around freeing him up in the half-spaces. At Arsenal, with Odegaard in strong form and Max Dowman pushing for minutes, the route to regular football looks likeliest to come from the left flank.

His one direct contribution so far came in the 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Ipswich Town, where he registered an assist.

A congested schedule ahead

With fixtures arriving across multiple competitions, opportunities should present themselves. Sharpness, though, tends to follow minutes rather than precede them — and right now Eze is averaging fewer touches per 90 than both Odegaard and Tzolis.

The next few weeks will determine whether Eze can force his way back into Arteta's starting XI on a consistent basis.