Eze's last appearance in Arsenal's squad was a victory against Crystal Palace in the League Cup on December 23, 2025. After that, he was completely absent for the next 4 matches, before being brought on from the bench in the last draw with Liverpool in the 21st round of the Premier League.
When he first arrived at Arsenal after the summer transfer window, Eze was frequently present in competitions and left no small mark. However, recently, Mikel Arteta's failure to use the English striker left quite a few questions, but the Spanish strategist was quite calm when receiving questions about this issue.
Whether he plays or not, Eze still shows very professional qualities, that's what the club needs. Each person will have their own role and everyone will be happy if the team wins.
I know Eze's aspirations are very big. The way he trains every day can make my thinking change and give him more time to play. I believe we will see a better Eze version in the near future" - Mikel Arteta shared before the match between Arsenal and Liverpool in round 21.
Although not shining brightly in every match, the English midfielder's playing style brought a breath of fresh air in his first start against Nottingham Forest in September 2025. Late that month, Eze assisted an important pass to help Gabriel Martinelli save the draw against Manchester City. Since then, he has scored the decisive goal against Crystal Palace as well as scored a hat-trick in the North London Derby.
Perhaps at the present time, Arteta wants to keep Eze because this midfielder has been harassed quite a lot in the past time. After returning from FIFA Days in October, Eze has started 5 matches in 11 days, with matches against Fulham (62 minutes), Atletico Madrid (73 minutes), Crystal Palace (88 minutes), Brighton (83 minutes) and Burnley (72 minutes). In 22 appearances for Arsenal, Eze has 17 matches as a starter, 6 of which are in the Champions League and League Cup.
Using Eze a lot at the beginning of the season is considered the right decision by Mikel Arteta. That time was when Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were injured. Currently, this veteran duo has recovered and regularly makes certain contributions on the field.
Eze's problem is not uncommon because Arteta was once involved in the problem of solving the center forward position with Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Eze started his first days at Arsenal in the left wing position. After that, he moved in to play in the center position after Martin Odegaard's recurring injuries. Eze was not named in the starting lineup when Odegaard returned in the 1-0 away win against Everton.
In the left wing position, Leandro Trossard has started 4/5 Premier League matches of Arsenal since then, and Martinelli started in the most recent victory against Bournemouth.
Eze's appearance will depend on who his teammates around him are in each match. Usually, Eze will play on the left wing more, but sometimes plays very well on the right wing. He is so smart and good that he can occupy any space. I care more about deciding his playing position compared to the players around him than about Eze's specific position" - Arteta shared.
One of the first examples showing Eze shining in the right winger position was his entry in the second half of the match against Manchester City in September 2025. Arteta allowing the 27-year-old star to move freely to the right wing also contributed to helping Eze score against West Ham and Olympiacos in October 2025, when coordinating with Martin Zubimendi in many different ways.
Arteta's emphasis on the importance of coordination to maximize the player's ability is not new. In the 2022-2023 season, the combination between Oleksandr Zinchenko, Granit Xhaka, Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus made Arsenal's left wing unpredictable.
For Eze, the good coordination with Zubimendi is most effective when he plays in the center position. In those situations, Eze's moments of brilliance came when Martinelli, Gyokeres and Declan Rice made runs behind the opponent's defense.
Arteta letting Eze start alongside Odegaard and Rice in the match against West Ham is an interesting experiment. It creates an opportunity for Zubimendi, Arsenal's most used player this season, to rest, and also helps Odegaard and Eze have more freedom in moving with Rice supporting behind.
This trio only had 30 minutes to play together before Odegaard suffered a knee injury, but at that time, Arteta said he was ready to try this arrangement again.
