Arsenal of England new signing, Eberechi Oluchi Eze has come out with a soul-stirring testimony about how ‘the hand of God’ directed him through the years into a career-defiining contract with his boyhood club in the English Premier League.
Sports247 gathered that Eze’s recent £67.5m summer transfer from Crystal Palace truly had a divine touch in it, because he had already starred for The Eagles this season against fellow-London-based Chelsea.
He captained Palace at a point during that game and had a free kick goal controversially ruled out in a goalless draw at home for his side, only for news to emerge few minutes afterwards that he was on his way to another London-based side, Tottenham Hotspur.
Dramatically, rather than a move to Spurs becoming the reality, he ended up on his way to their eternal North London rivals, Arsenal, who had dropped him at the age of 13 because they felt he was not good enough, despite his five years’ development (2006-2011) in their Hale End Academy.
A divine touch is truly seen in his return to Emirates Stadium, as The Gunners moved for him swiftly when German ace, Kai Havertz got injured, following which Eze put a cursory call through to the gaffer, Mikael Arteta about the possibility of an opening … and the rest is history.
Adding drama to the tale was how an Arseanl legend, Ian Wright, who also joined The Gunners from Crystal Palace at the age of 27 conducted Eberechi’s first official interview after his transfer was confirmed (£60m down payment with £7.5m add ons) … and waiting for him to grab was the iconic jersey No.10 that had been left vacant when Emile Smith Rowe left The Emirates a year ago!
Eze disclosed, “I remember the day I got released (at 13), my mum said a prayer. She was praying that this reverse would happen. She prayed for this (return to Arsenal).
“So, for me, it’s a realisation of a prayer that we prayed 20 whole years ago … the whole family. So, this is deeper than anyone can understand and, for me, I can see God’s hand in it. I know it was meant to be.”
Indeed, like the prophetic exodus of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, the 27-year-old Eze was bound to go round picking experience at other stops before reaching the destination God had in store for him.
Such it was that, after he was released by Arsenal, Eze moved to three other London-based sides – Fulham (2011-2014), Reading (2014 only) and Milwall, where he was granted a scholarship that ran from 2014 to 2016, but they refused to give him a professional contract.
So Eze, who was taught how to play chess by fellow-Nigerian-born former Crystal Palace teammate, Michael Olise, tried his potential at yet another London-based side, Queens Park Rangers and he ended up playing for them up till 2020, though with a loan spell at Wycombe Wanderers (2017-2018) along the way.
His turnaround then began when he joined Palace on a deal worth £17m in the year 2020, and the once-overlooked winger-cum-attacking midfielder went on to notch 34 goals in 147 games for The Eagles.
Eze, who was born in the Greenwich neighbourhood of Greater London, already has a goal in 11 senior appearances for England and now looks set to truly live the life that destiny had lined up for him when everything initially appeared to be over at the age of 13.
