Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards believes Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze would be an excellent replacement for Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast (quotes via The Metro), Richards said that he feels the Gunners need more quality on the left flank than what Martinelli currently provides:

“I still believe they need a left winger as well… they’ve been linked with [Eberechi Eze] haven’t they. I think Martinelli can definitely do a job, but he’s more of an impact player right now, great to have off the bench, so if they could get Eze, that would be amazing.”

Eze isn’t technically a winger, and some may argue that he is better suited to a central role, but manager Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on securing the 27-year-old’s services before the end of the transfer window.

A release clause is still active

There had been reports that Eze’s buyout fee expired at the end of July. However, The Standard claims that it remains in place until August 15th.

Based on what has been said, it is still unlikely that Arteta’s side will look to trigger the clause, as they were hoping to get him for less than £68m anyway. Whether Palace will relent on their current stance and accept a lower amount, it isn’t known.

Arsenal need to raise funds

After splashing out close to £200m on six new signings this summer, it is felt that the Gunners would probably need to finance any further purchases by selling players first.

The likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga and, potentially, Jakub Kiwior could all leave the Emirates before the end of the month. Any move for Eze might have to wait until closer to the deadline on September 1st.

Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here