Eberechi Eze admits he wants to try and live up to the standards set by his predecessors at Arsenal when they wore the number 10 shirt and achieve what they achieved.
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Eberechi Eze’s performances at Arsenal have been largely positive so far, but perhaps a bit lackluster.
The 27-year-old has had big moments, such as a hat-trick in the north London derby or assists against Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. Five goals and six assists isn’t a bad return at this stage, especially considering his limited playing time at times this season.
Even so, the fact that the midfielder has not scored since his Derby hat-trick is still concerning. The fact that his only assist since Bayern in November came against League One side Wigan Athletic is also disappointing.
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Returning to Eze’s boyhood club Arsenal was never going to be a completely smooth transition. One could argue that the pressure of playing for your favorite team, wearing the No. 10 shirt and competing for trophies on four fronts, may affect your performance.
But Eze insists he understands the demands of wearing the shirt and hopes he can shoulder the pressure.
“I know what this shirt means,” Eads told Men’s Blazers. “I know what it means to wear the number 10 shirt. I know the quality of the players who came before me.
“So to be honest, putting this shirt on represents who I am. I want to be the guy who wears No. 10 and I don’t know any other way to do it.”
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“Those (top 10) are guys I look up to. Those are guys I want to follow, guys I want to emulate, and I want to achieve what they accomplished. That’s the mindset, that’s the goal.”
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Another positive north London derby performance on Sunday afternoon will go some way to helping Eze build such a legacy at Arsenal, helping the team stay at the top of the Premier League and keep fighting despite recent setbacks.
The former Crystal Palace man has made a good start at his new club but he now needs to return to the form that won Arsenal the Player of the Month award in November.