'Eberechi Eze became a different animal in training – I wouldn't go near him'

Arsenal target Eberechi Eze always possessed major talent, but one move in his career turned him into "a different animal." That's according to former team-mate Joel Lynch, who described the positive impact of Eze's loan move to Wycombe Wanderers in 2017.

The pair were part of the same Queens Park Rangers squad after Eze joined from Millwall's academy in 2016. But after failing to feature in the first team during his maiden season at Loftus Road, the winger was farmed out to Wycombe to get senior minutes.

Eze, 27, was only with Wanderers for the first six months of the campaign but played a role in helping the club gain promotion from League Two. He returned to QPR in January 2018, and Lynch looked back upon the difference he saw in the player in such a short space of time.

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"He was a brilliant player before he went, but when he came back he was just a different animal," he told BBC Sport in 2023. "It was just mad. I don't know what happened to him, but when he came back he was unbelievable, just a completely different player.

"Every bit of his game was better. He literally came back our best player. He was miles above the rest really. The way he carries himself is perfect. If any young lad coming through the game wants to look at a player it would be him, he's the prime example of how to be a professional. He's a class act."

Crystal Palace have benefited from that model maturity since signing Eze for £17million in the summer of 2020. Fast forward to today, and he's set to rejoin Arsenal for more than three times that fee.

Eze was released by the Gunners as a 13-year-old but is now on the verge of moving back to north London in a £67.5m deal. While that ascent up the English football pyramid may come as a surprise to some, it appears Lynch, who was at QPR between 2016 and 2019, was long aware of his talent.

"I just wouldn't go near him," he added. "He'd just do some madness and try and nutmeg me. Before the start of games, where everyone is giving each other high fives, I'd go up to him and say, 'Mate, score a couple now so we can all go home. Just win us the game please.'

"He was that good. I actually thought at the time he could literally just win us the game. The only time I watch the Premier League now is to watch him play."

Eze is due to undergo a medical with Arsenal after Mikel Arteta's side moved ahead of rivals Tottenham in the queue for his signature. Spurs were thought to be leading the chase before the Gunners offered more appealing terms to Palace.

After shining so spectacularly for Palace during his five years at the club, fans are excited to see what he can achieve in Arsenal's colours. However, the move won't be completed in time for Eze to feature in Saturday's Premier League clash against Leeds.

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