Eberechi Eze’s historic north London derby debut was born out of his strong work ethic, manager Mikel Arteta revealed.
Eze became the first Arsenal player in nearly 47 years to score a hat-trick against their heated rivals. The Gunners brushed Tottenham Hotspur aside to go six points clear atop the Premier League table as the chaotic winter period heats up.
It was Eze’s best performance in an Arsenal shirt since moving for £67 million ($87.6 million) over the summer. The former Crystal Palace man has taken time to settle in while being used in multiple roles amid multiple injuries in the squad. Despite the circumstances, his manager believed his performance in the derby was more or less inevitable given what he saw from his No. 10 after the November break.
“He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train,” Arteta said.
“He wanted to come back and improve and ask questions. When you have such a talent and such intelligence and then you add that willingness to be better and practise, these things happen.”
