Revealed: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta met with Eberechi Eze a MONTH before hijacking Spurs move for Crystal Palace ace

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta reportedly met with Eberechi Eze a month before sensationally swooping to snatch the Crystal Palace ace right out of Tottenham’s grasp in a blockbuster £68 million ($91m) raid. The move, which comes just days after Kai Havertz was ruled out with a knee injury, has sent shockwaves through North London, leaving Spurs supporters fuming over another missed target.

  • snap up Eze from Palace
  • Arteta and Berta met him last month
  • Spurs still keen on Man City’s

Revealed: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta met with Eberechi Eze a MONTH before hijacking Spurs move for Crystal Palace aceRevealed: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta met with Eberechi Eze a MONTH before hijacking Spurs move for Crystal Palace aceRevealed: Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta met with Eberechi Eze a MONTH before hijacking Spurs move for Crystal Palace ace

According to The Daily Mail,Arteta and Berta held a secret meeting with Eze a month ago, long before thought they had the deal in the bag. The forward was immediately convinced by Arteta’s vision and the prospect of lining up at The Emirates. The Gunners didn’t make a move at the time, having just splashed £63m ($85m) on Viktor Gyokeres, but the groundwork was already in place.

Tottenham believed they had Eze locked down after ten days of talks with Palace, agreeing on a package worth £55m ($74m) plus add-ons.On Wednesday morning, the deal was said to be virtually complete, with Eze’s personal terms also sorted. But Palace, reluctant to lose their talisman ahead of their play-off clash with Fredrikstad, delayed signing off on the deal. That hesitation opened the door for Arsenal. By Wednesday afternoon, Arsenal stormed in with a straight £60m offer, plus bonuses matching Eze’s release clause of £68m, blowing Spurs’ negotiations out of the water.

Arteta hadn’t planned to push for another attacker so soon, but the serious injury to Havertz forced a change of strategy. With Jesus still sidelined and only Gyokeres fully fit, Arsenal needed another attacking outlet. Eze’s flair, versatility, and experience made him the perfect solution.

This is not the first time Tottenham have been left red-faced in the transfer market. Earlier this summer, they missed out on ‘s Morgan Gibbs-White, another creative English midfielder who was high on their wishlist. Even attempts to sweeten the Eze deal by offering as part of the package couldn’t shift Palace’s stance. To make matters worse, Spurs are also tracking ‘s Brazilian winger Savinho, but City are digging in their heels and refusing to sell.