Eberechi Eze's £67.5 million move from Crystal Palace to Arsenal is a perfect example of how a career in football isn't always a linear journey.
The 27-year-old England international finds himself back at his boyhood club, where he was released from the academy at age 13 and then also got let go from Fulham, Reading and Millwall's youth setups. He's achieved what most professional footballers dream of, even if he's arrived at it in an unconventional way. Being rejected by a club is nothing new -- whether it's a player who's 17 or 18, or someone who's 25. It's part of the game. What matters most is how a player responds.
I was Eze's captain at Queens Park Rangers when he arrived at Loftus Road as a teenager in 2016, and immediately we could tell he was a unique player. Myself and a few other senior players that had played in the Premier League before -- including former Wolverhampton Wanderers skipper Karl Henry and defender James Perch -- remarked at the time about how different and special his style was.
You could never approach a duel with him half-heartedly because you would quickly be embarrassed. This is when we were back in the Championship, and Eze was probably one of the first players QPR had at that time who could almost manipulate a game by himself. He was so young, and of course there were things to refine -- on and off the ball -- but the talent was more than evident.
That's not what truly set Eze apart, though.
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To put it into perspective, every single player who has come through a Premier League academy is talented. But beyond that talent, there needs to be an understanding of how to be around coaches, how to interact with teammates, how to contribute on the field in ways that go beyond ability.
What made Eze different at such a young age was that he's a genuinely good, honest guy who truly loves the game of football. There was never an attitude problem. For him, developing was more a matter of understanding the levels of professionalism required to be consistently effective. And, over time, you could see he wanted to learn every day, to do more, to learn his craft. Best of all, he was a joy to play with because he just wanted to be the best he could be.
Football is Eze's happy place, whether it's watching, playing, or supporting his peers. Even after becoming a first-team player at QPR -- which he did after a short loan spell in League Two at Wycombe Wanderers in 2017 -- he would still go and watch the U18s and U20s play. He just wanted to be out there. That attitude made him extremely easy to coach and mentor. So many young players have the talent, but some become obsessed with themselves and think they deserve everything -- more starts, new contracts -- but rarely is that the reality.
Not Eze. Even now, you can pull him aside and talk to him about anything. And while he has a different perspective now, having reached heights others haven't, he still wants to listen. He appreciates the fact that you care, that you're trying to help, and he's keen to learn and improve. For all he's achieved, he knows he can still get better.
That was clear when Eze left QPR for Palace in 2020, and with it a move up to the Premier League. At Selhurst Park, he was under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson -- someone very meticulous about how he wants his teams to play, both with and without the ball. Even then, Eze didn't think he'd "made it." In many ways, joining Palace in the Premier League was an even bigger leap than moving from an academy to the professional ranks.
There was an adjustment period -- there always is -- and Eze had to battle back from a serious Achilles injury early in his Palace career. But that positive attitude and his faith shone through again.
Just like in the academies, sheer talent isn't enough to succeed in the Premier League; it comes down to the little things. For Eze, every day he was like a sponge -- eager to listen and absorb knowledge from those who had done it before. From coaches to fitness staff, to doing extra work in the gym -- he engaged with everyone. Playing at the highest level was what he wanted most, and he knew he couldn't do it alone. He leaned on those around him.
He felt like a star back then, and over time, he's only grown into that even more. That's what sets Eze apart. There's no ego, just a genuine love for the game and appreciation for his peers. Don't get me wrong -- he'll do whatever it takes to help his team win. But at heart, he's someone who just wants the ball at his feet and to play football the right way.
There's a humility too. When I spoke to him on the Wembley pitch after he scored the winning goal against Manchester City to help Palace lift the FA Cup in May -- the first major trophy in the club's history -- he still did not want to take anything for granted. To be there, to perform for all those fans, and to have that moment, he said he only felt a huge sense of pride: "Palace. We did this," he said. "We did this." It summed up who he is as a person, because even though he could look back at his own personal story, he never wanted to make it about him.
For myself and everyone who was a teammate of Eze's at QPR, none of us are surprised he's reached the highest level. More importantly, you won't find anyone from his past clubs who isn't absolutely over the moon for him now he's moved back to Arsenal. This is something he's worked for, something we all feel he truly deserves. And he knows there's more to come.