Crystal Palace head coach, Oliver Glasner has confirmed Eberechi Eze has played his last game for the Eagles after claiming the England attacker pulled out of their Conference League playoff victory over Fredrikstad.
Softfootball understood Glasners insisted Eze would start the Palace’ first leg against the Norwegian side at Selhurst Park, also their first game into major European football before Arsenal swooped in with a £60million deal.
Eze had previously been close to a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur before Arsenal made their move on Wednesday, and, Glasner revealed he received a phone call from Eze on Thursday morning informing him he was not feeling well enough to play, forcing the Austrian coach to bring Justin Devenny into his starting XI.
The Gunners are closing in on signing Eberechi Eze, with Oliver Glasner confirming the winger’s departure. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano via his X account, the Gaffer confirmed that the England international won’t play for Crystal Palace anymore, and wished him all the best.
The post reads:
“Oliver Glasner: “I wish Eberechi Eze all the best. He won’t play for us anymore”.
All set for formal steps of his Arsenal move, due to be completed in 24h.”
The drama and speculation around Eze and his absence from Palace’s starting XI overshadowed the FA Cup holders’ historic major European debut, which they won 1-0 after Jean-Philippe Mateta nodded home in the 54th minute.
Arsenal’s accelerated move for Eze came after the team learned of an injury to Kai Havertz. The German forward will reportedly miss time with a knee issue, which spurred the title hopefuls back into action in the transfer market.
Eze has made 169 appearances for Crystal Palace since his transfer from Queens Park Rangers in 2020, scoring 40 goals. His potential arrival at the Emirates would give Mikel Arteta another creative playmaker who can operate in multiple positions.
