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Nigel Martyn has told The Boot Room that while Leeds United could have held talks with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze in the summer, the London-born playmaker was always going to remain in the capital.
Eze, 22, was a man in-demand in the summer after shining for Queens Park Rangers during the 2019-20 season. He had a hand in 22 goals for QPR, despite the London side struggling in the bottom half of the Championship table.
Such excellent form saw him join Palace in a deal worth £20million (Sky Sports). Palace won the race due to Eze’s desire to remain in London, and he scored a sublime free-kick during Saturday’s 4-1 win over Leeds.
The Mirror claimed in August that Leeds were in the race to sign Eze. While Martyn thinks the attacking midfielder looks an “exciting player”, he states that Eze was always going to remain in London – and likened him to Ian Poveda.
“He looks a very exciting player, his free-kick was excellent. He looks good on the ball. He’s a London lad, he’s come from QPR and that’s probably the reason why he stayed there,” Martyn told The Boot Room.
TBR’s view – Do Leeds need a player like Eze?
While it was always going to be that Eze would remain in London and eventually join Palace, Leeds still require a player that can play alongside Mateusz Klich in attacking midfield – after a move for Michael Cuisance fell through.
Rodrigo has been playing there despite many believing he had initially been signed to play up front, over the in-form Patrick Bamford. The Spaniard has impressed, but has since been sidelined – and his absence has been felt.
Leeds need a player that can partner Klich on a permanent basis. Yes, Eze has the quality to do that and might have been perfect for the role, but unfortunately for Leeds at least, he has chosen to remain in London.
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