Eberechi Eze Premier League Action Beckons

Eberechi Eze Premier League Action Beckons

With his sterling performance so far this season in which he scored 12 goals and eight assists and the rate with which top Premier League clubs are making enquiries about him, it is obvious that Eberechi Eze’s time and life in the Championship may be over soon

Football London recently reported that Tottenham Hotspurs have scouted Eberechi Eze with the team having good links with both Queen Park Rangers and the player’s agent. Spurs’ relationship with QPR could also help to push the deal over the line after loaning them both Luke Amos and Jack Clarke this campaign.

The 21-year-old has been influential for QPR this season after netting 12 goals and eight assists.

Meanwhile, Spurs are said to be having restricted funds this summer and therefore, signing Eze would be a quality move after Christian Eriksen’s departure in January.

However, Spurs are already fairly packed in his position and Eze might struggle to get ahead of Dele, Lo Celso, and Lamela. The fact that Spurs missed out on the signing of James Maddison when he was in the Championship and Eze could have the same impact over the coming years.

In a recent friendly encounter between West Ham and QPR, the big talk around the game was that Coach David Moyes wanted to get a closer look at the reported target, Eze after the exciting young winger has been linked with a summer move to West Ham.

However, after the game, speculation swirled that Eze had played one half of the friendly for West Ham.

However, a former West Ham United employee was able to thwart the rumour.

“I’ll squash the rumour that I’ve been asked a number of times about and is really unfair on a young player’s reputation,” ExWHUemployee said on Twitter.

Eze is a wonderfully exciting young talent and he would be a truly exceptional signing for West Ham as he has been in absolutely incredible form for the west London outfit this season, having racked up 12 goals and eight assists in 37 Championship outings for QPR.

In those outings, the 21-year-old has averaged 2.4 shots, 1.9 key passes and three dribbles per game.

Whether West Ham have the kind of funds available to sign him this summer is another matter altogether.

Despite usually playing in attacking-midfield or on the wing, the 21-year-old says he wants to help out his backline more by improving his positioning when it comes to tracking back.

“Defensively, I could be better,” Eze added. “It’s the last thing I want to do, as an attacking player, but my positioning when we lose the ball would help with that.

“Top players today need to be well-rounded – attackers don’t get away with being passengers. I’ve realised that more than ever this season.”

Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has backed Eze for an England call-up following his outstanding form this season.

Eze has scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in the league this season, attracting attention from Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspurs, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace in the process.

The 21-year-old has been capped by England at U-20 and U-21 level, but would also be eligible to play for Nigeria and has trained with their national team.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Fedinand said: “A lot of the time you need to be in the Premier League to be recognised but he has shown the kind of form and, if he continues to develop in the way he is developing and keeps showing the type of football he has been playing, he is certainly going to put himself in the frame.

“People are going to start talking about him playing for England.
“We have got a few young players coming through the system now who we are really excited about.

“They are helping us in our campaign this season to finish as high up the league as we possibly can.”

Ferdinand has previously stated that the R’s could be forced to sell Eze this summer as they still look to recover from the £17m fine they were hit with in 2018.

Ironically, youth football was far from plain sailing for Eze, and a number of clubs are now counting the cost of letting the player slip through their grasp. He struggled upon being released by Arsenal as a 13-year-old, and endured unhappy spells at Fulham and Millwall as he began to seriously consider quitting the game to go to work in a supermarket. But Eze impressed then QPR boss Chris Ramsey during a trial in 2016 and the rest is history.

Eze is convinced he struggled in his junior career because too many coaches took his easy-going style for an inherent laziness. Ramsey took a different approach and that belief has been replicated by Rangers boss Mark Warburton, who has given him freedom to express himself fully in his number 10 role, despite his relative lack of experience. Warburton’s confidence has paid off handsomely, with 11 goals this season and a host of high-profile assists.

Eze made his international debut for England under-20s in October 2018, and for the U-21s the following year.

There is every indication that Eze’s days at Loftus Road may be numbered. Tottenham are the club most frequently linked with the player but Chelsea have also been keeping close tabs, and Sheffield United too have been linked. With QPR showing few signs of shaping up into play-off contenders if and when the season resumes, Eze could be on his way sooner rather than later.

After all, QPR’s own director of football Ferdinand described the player as someone who is destined for a “top six” club.

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