People still say good things will come to those who know how to wait. But for Eberechi Eze, it took 14 years for the dream to come true.
The English striker just had an opening training session with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, before the Europa Conference League play-off match. He was the last to leave the dressing room, his face exited with excitement as the transfer deal to Tottenham was in the final stages.
Even though he knew Arsenal were still planning to pursue a long-term goal, Eze did not disclose any information. He happily signed and interacted with fans before leaving the training ground in Beckenham, keeping all secrets confidential amid a vibrant transfer market.
On Wednesday afternoon, Crystal Palace president Steve Parish received a call from Tim Lewis - Arsenal's vice president - announcing that they were finally ready to act.
The severity of Kai Havertz's knee injury in the win over Manchester United remains unknown, but the German striker is expected to be out for a long time.
With Arsenal set to face four of last season's top seven teams right after Leeds this weekend, manager Mikel Arteta feels his attacking force is lacking.
Parish reluctantly accepted the fee Tottenham offered to Eze, equivalent to a release clause for a maturing contract worth £67.5 million.
Spurs paid less than £60 million as Palace demanded, the rest was additional bonuses. Meanwhile, Arsenal clearly understand Palace need money urgently to reinvest and are ready to make a more attractive offer.
However, the most important card is still Eze. He did not hide his special affection for Arsenal - the club that let him leave the academy at the age of 13, leaving him with unhealthy mental scars.
"It was one of the most difficult challenges I've ever gone through. Because of what Arsenal mean to me at that time, I burst into tears," Eze shared before the FA Cup final in May.
Before being recruited by Queens Park Rangers in 2016, Eze was also rejected by Fulham, Reading and Millwall. At that time, he had prepared to enroll in a local college and work part-time at Tesco, before fate gave him a chance.
That confidence was eventually rewarded when Eze broke through to the first team under the leadership of Chris Ramsey and Les Ferdinand - former Tottenham striker, who are also QPR's director of football.
It was Ferdinand who gave Palace a green light to spend £195m to bring Eze in August 2020, and added a 15% win on resell.
Thanks to that, if the Arsenal transfer deal is completed, QPR will earn about 6 million pounds. This is a worthy reward for patience and trust in a young talent every year.
It took Eze 3 months to open a goal account for Crystal Palace. It was a stunning free kick against Leeds at Selhurst Park, which was empty due to COVID-19. But the joy was short-lived.
The following season, Eze was almost completely sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury, which also broke his dream of being called up to the England team for the first time.
But since returning from injury, Eze has really exploded. He has scored 29 Premier League goals in his last three seasons.
This player affirmed Crystal Palace's iconic position with a decisive goal against Manchester City at Wembley, bringing home the first major trophy in the club's history.
In the parade a few days later, Eze also wore the shirt that Ian Wright and his teammates wore in the 1990 FA Cup final. It is known that this is a gift from a fan.
Wright left Palace to join Arsenal in September 1991 for £2.5 million at the age of 27, and proved himself to be fully capable of shining at new heights. Eze is now also about to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Kenny Sansom, Paul Davis and David Rocastle.
For Palace fans, Eze will forever hold a special place in their hearts. But just like the previous times they said goodbye to Wright, Andy Johnson or Michael Olise, they understand that it is best not to hold on to idols too much because the club's journey still has to continue.
