Eze's journey from Arsenal rejection to brink of dream return

It is simply a script acquainted to thousands of aspiring footballers astir nan world. Eberechi Eze, aged 13 and pinch tears successful his eyes, was told he was not wanted by nan nine he dreamed of playing for - successful his case, Arsenal.

For galore of those young players, that rejection is nan extremity of their shot dream. Not, however, for nan resilient Eze.

Following aggregate grounded tests and consequent spells astatine Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, nan playmaker looks group to travel location 14 years later - arsenic an England world - successful a £60m move.

"I cognize truthful galore group who sewage released from 1 club, sewage released from Arsenal, and that was it - they stopped playing," Eze told BBC Sport successful May, days earlier scoring Palace's victor successful nan FA Cup last against Manchester City.

"The truth I americium successful this position, I tin only opportunity 'God, convey you' because I could beryllium anyplace doing anything."

Eze was astatine Arsenal, nan nine he supported, for 4 years from nan property of nine.

"Arsenal was everything," he said. "Just to play there, to spell successful pinch nan Arsenal badge and beryllium nan kid who plays for Arsenal, was special.

"Afterwards it became difficult. As a kid your personality is almost wrapped up successful that. When you don't person it..."

After Arsenal, Eze had spells successful nan younker set-ups astatine Fulham, Reading and Millwall.

"I retrieve playing astatine Fulham successful a crippled against Arsenal. Speaking to nan academy head aft nan game, I had tears fresh to move down my face," Eze said.

"I retrieve he's talking to maine and because of what Arsenal meant to maine astatine nan time... tears, that's it. But these are nan things that style who you are."

These words will beryllium euphony to Arsenal fans' ears - particularly arsenic they look poised to snatch him from nether nan noses of Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs had been adjacent to signing him from Palace earlier nan Gunners hijacked nan move.

BBC Sport looks astatine nan debased moments - and nan emergence - of Eze.

Eze grew up playing cage shot astir Greenwich pinch his 2 brothers - who are besides some footballers now.

Chimaechi Eze, 22, was released by nan Crystal Palace academy this summertime - and Ikechi Eze, 28, plays for non-league broadside Dartford.

"He's precisely really group spot him connected TV. Freedom, ever smiling, laughing, a bully characteristic to beryllium around" is really Chimaechi describes his older brother.

"When he's playing, I don't deliberation there's thing connected his mind.

"Growing up wherever we're from, it forces you to get bully astatine shot quickly, different you're successful problem because bigger boys are around. If you're not good, you person to go.

"My favourite shot representation is astatine younger ages - me, Ikechi, Ebere going to nan Rec aliases yellowish cages to play shot successful nan early greeting and afternoon, and coming backmost successful nan evening. Playing shot and doing what we love.

"It would get to 9 aliases 10 o'clock and she [their mother] would person to nonstop group to travel and get america because we'd been playing retired each day."

After playing football, nan brothers would watch clips of footballers - including Ronaldinho and Arsenal fable Thierry Henry - to effort to study their skills.

Ikechi added: "When he was released by Arsenal he ended up very emotional. It showed his quality side.

"By nan clip he was coming present [cages] he was already pinch academies.

"So nan uncommon clip he was allowed to travel aft a training session, you could show he had thing different from nan different players we were kicking with."

But Eberechi Eze has interests different than shot excessively - and picked up £15,000 weeks earlier nan FA Cup last by winning an online chess competition against different personage contented creators and athletes.

Lisa Shaw, his coach astatine Fossdene Primary School successful Charlton, told nan BBC: "He didn't neglect his studies. He was ever adjacent nan apical of nan people for his learning.

"When I saw he'd won nan chess tourney I thought 'well done' but I wasn't surprised. He was ever very wished to do well."

She tells nan communicative of him inviting children from his aged schoolhouse to watch Palace train.

"He sent a fleet of cars to prime them up. It was very generous," she says.

"The children look up to him. He has had a batch of setbacks successful his profession but he was resilient. That's why he's specified a bully domiciled model."

After Arsenal, Eze spent 2 and a half years astatine Fulham's academy earlier being released. Then a proceedings astatine Reading resulted successful a acquainted sinking feeling.

Having been told by Millwall he would not beryllium handed a master statement astatine nan extremity of a two-year danasiwa successful 2016, Eze had much unsuccessful tests - pinch Bristol City and Sunderland.

"I was location [Sunderland] for a week," said Eze.

"I retrieve getting home, lying connected bunk beds pinch my brothers and praying: 'Please springiness maine a pro contract, I cognize I tin do it'.

"Then I sewage nan news I hadn't sewage it. I retrieve nan deflation."

His assurance was astatine an all-time low. It would person been easy for Eze to springiness up connected his dream of becoming a master footballer.

After all, nan youngster from a assembly property successful Greenwich, south-east London, had knowledgeable thing but pain, vexation and crushing rejection.

"But ever it was 'what's next?' That's erstwhile QPR came," said Eze, who is simply a devout Christian.

"I consciousness for illustration nan travel I've been connected has forced maine to turn up, amended and beryllium better.

"But nan emotion of shot ne'er left."

By 2018, Eze had surgery into nan QPR first squad pursuing an awesome indebtedness spell astatine Wycombe Wanderers.

"I met group astatine QPR who saw maine and understood what I could do," he says. "It was a travel getting location - truthful galore clubs, truthful galore rejections."

He credits method head Chris Ramsey, coaches Andy Impey and Paul Hall, and erstwhile England guardant Les Ferdinand pinch helping pinch his improvement and building up his assurance astatine Loftus Road.

"I'm hugely grateful for them because that was nan changing constituent successful my career, and my belief shifted because of them," adds Eze.

"They opened my eyes. They taught maine it can't conscionable beryllium nutmegs. They improved maine massively, they saw imaginable successful me. It was conscionable astir bringing it out."

When Eze completed a £19.5m move crossed London to Crystal Palace successful August 2020, he had 20 Championship goals to his name.

He had gone from Millwall cull to Premier League guardant successful nan abstraction of 4 years.

Does Eze consciousness immoderate resentment towards nan clubs who rejected him?

"I don't look backmost astatine immoderate of nan teams and say, 'oh, they shouldn't person released me'," he says.

"That's nan determination they made astatine nan clip and it made consciousness for them. Of course, now it looks for illustration they've made a mistake. But astatine nan time, it was astir apt clear for them to make that decision.

"So, I don't blasted anyone, to beryllium honest. I consciousness for illustration nan travel I've been connected has forced maine to turn up, amended and beryllium better.

"I haven't been fixed anything. All that I person successful shot is because God has blessed maine and fixed maine nan opportunity to use myself and activity difficult for it."

Eze turned retired to beryllium a sensational signing for Crystal Palace, having established himself nether Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira past flourished nether Oliver Glasner.

He quickly became hugely celebrated pinch players, coaches and fans astatine Palace.

Assuming nan woody to Arsenal is completed, he will time off pinch 40 goals and 28 assists successful 169 appearances for nan club, including nan astir important onslaught successful nan club's history - nan victor successful nan FA Cup last against Manchester City.

He netted 5 of their 14 goals successful that cup run. And past he besides played successful their Community Shield punishment shootout triumph complete Liverpool.

"Who's a amended subordinate than Eze?" Glasner asked past September aft a League Cup victor from Eze against his erstwhile nine QPR.

"For maine he's perfectly top.

"He's ever vulnerable because he has nan value and ability. He's specified an unbelievable finisher. He's a feline who tin ever people and he's personification who everyone likes."

And Palace is wherever he became an England international, featuring successful nan Three Lions' Euro 2024 squad.

Talk to those who person known Eze since he was a boy honing his skills successful a mini yellowish cage successful Greenwich and location is immense pridefulness astatine really acold he has come.

"Growing up successful south-east London, playing shot successful cages was a societal point pinch our mates," says Dajon Golding, a schoolhouse friend of Eze's and now a striker astatine National League South broadside Maidstone.

"Even from a young age, Ebs ever said he would play astatine nan precocious level. A batch of america said that. We had large dreams and were naive.

"But it's a testament to Ebs that he has achieved it."

Eze's younger relative Chimaechi said: "Him showing that for nan family helps everyone to push connected erstwhile going done reliable times. He is 100% an inspiration. He has shown you tin ever alteration nan narrative."

Despite his elevation to nan England team, scoring against Latvia successful March, Eze has not forgotten wherever it each started.

"I conscionable sewage successful interaction pinch nan 2 guys who taught maine really to play shot [in nan cage], Gabriel and Rafael," he said. "They are nan logic I play shot nan measurement I do now.

"They showed maine each nan skills and I beryllium truthful overmuch to them.

"This is why we play football. Of people you want to triumph and that's nan main portion of it, but nan emotion of what you're doing to group successful nan stands and really you tin get them disconnected their feet...

"It feels for illustration shot is starting to displacement a spot and location is not arsenic overmuch of that, but arsenic agelong arsenic I play that's what I want to do."

A type of this characteristic was first published successful May 2025 earlier nan FA Cup final