Arteta Spills the Secrets Behind Arsenal's Victory Over Spurs in Eberechi Eze Transfer Battle

Mikel Arteta has validated claims that Eberechi Eze initiated his dramatic last-minute switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal through a personal phone call.

Reports had suggested that Spurs were leading a "one-horse race" for Eze's signature just four days prior to his presentation to enthusiastic Arsenal supporters at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Tottenham had allegedly reached an agreement on a transfer fee that satisfied Crystal Palace, only to be overtaken by their bitter north London adversaries.

Arsenal had previously been linked with potential moves for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers during the summer window before Eze decided to take control of his destiny. Sources indicated that the club's former youth player contacted Arteta on Wednesday, the very day he was scheduled to complete his Spurs move, to verify whether a return to N5 remained possible.

Following Kai Havertz's severe knee injury, the Gunners became more inclined to secure another attacking player, and after a board discussion that same day, they agreed on a £60 million ($81.2 million) base fee for Eze.

When questioned about this pivotal phone conversation by beIN Sports on Saturday, Arteta smiled: "That demonstrates how desperately he wanted to join us. It's challenging at times because you aim to be completely honest and transparent with players.

"They must make career decisions that are extremely significant. I'm thrilled to have him here. You can see how meaningful this is to him and his entire family. Welcome to our family and I'm confident we'll share some incredible moments together."

Arteta endorsed the characterization of Eze as Arsenal's new "X-factor." "I believe he possesses the ability to produce these magical moments," the Spanish manager enthused. "He can deliver from various positions and different scenarios.

"He has that natural talent, he has that magnetism about him that's highly infectious. And he's channeling it properly. He's versatile in his positioning. We understand he can operate as an attacking midfielder, on the right or left flanks. He's adaptable. He performs well when drifting from the left side too. He's very settled in that role as well.

"We'll collect more data once he steps onto the field and begins to connect and establish chemistry with teammates. I'm certain we'll discover the perfect role for him."

Eze might be thrown into the starting lineup earlier than anticipated following injuries sustained by both Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka during Saturday's match against Leeds United.