Premier League legend advises Arsenal to drop their £67.5 million star

Alan Shearer thinks Mikel Arteta still has "a few things to fix" if he aims to claim the Premier League title and add more silverware with Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta has reason to be pleased with the progress of Arsenal this season, but Alan Shearer warns that during the crucial phase of the campaign, the Arsenal manager still faces some “unraveling” challenges.

The England legend and Premier League’s all-time top scorer expressed surprise at the performance of Arsenal’s £67.5 million signing – Eberechi Eze – and suggested that his recent poor run could even cost him a spot in England’s World Cup squad.

Arsenal fans were excited when the club signed Eze from Crystal Palace, especially since he was reportedly close to joining Tottenham. However, the 27-year-old is currently disappointing at the Emirates.

Eze scored an impressive hat-trick in the North London derby against Tottenham early this season, but those three goals make up 3 out of his 5 total goals since joining Arsenal. Recently, the England international has often been on the bench and was even substituted off just after halftime in the recent 1-1 draw with Brentford.

“Mikel Arteta has a few things to fix,” Metro quoted. “Eze’s situation against Brentford surprised me because he seemed lost, or at least in that match. After he was taken off, Arsenal increased their pressure on Brentford and scored. Eze looked really out of place.”

“Isn’t it astonishing? We’re talking about the player who scored a hat-trick in the North London derby. Everyone thought ‘wow,’ he would shine at Arsenal. The way he confidently stepped onto the pitch at Arsenal after his transfer looked like a perfect fit, as if he belonged there. But against Brentford, he was clearly out of sync.

Shearer believes Eze’s struggles at Arsenal might cost him a place in the 2026 World Cup squad under Thomas Tuchel. Eze has earned 16 caps for England, scoring 3 goals, and was expected to be included in the World Cup list.

“If he’s not playing, he won’t be in the England squad,” Shearer – who scored 30 goals in 63 appearances for England – said. “I think that was probably his first start since mid-December last year. He hardly starts games, and that needs to change if he wants to be selected.”

Despite Eze’s disappointing form, Arsenal continue to soar in the standings. The Gunners, who haven’t won the Premier League since 2004, lead the table by 4 points over second-placed Manchester City with 12 games remaining.

Arsenal’s ambitions extend beyond the Premier League. Arteta’s side is also seen as a strong contender in the Champions League after topping their group with 8 straight wins. They still have chances in both domestic cups, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.