Mikel Arteta suggests he’s been playing ‘magic’ star in the wrong position since he signed for Arsenal

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke glowingly about his squad ahead of facing Olympiacos in the Champions League.

When Arsenal were in the trenches at St James’ Park last Sunday, Mikel Arteta would have been delighted with how the likes of Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes all reacted.

In truth, there wasn’t a bad performance in an Arsenal shirt, and the Gunners deserved to take all three points against Newcastle United.

Speaking after the game, Bukayo Saka praised new signing Eberechi Eze, who has started life brilliantly in north London.

Eberechi Eze was seemingly a bit of a last-minute signing for Arteta – Arsenal wanted one more attacker late in the window but sporting director Andrea Berta had more than one option.

Mikel Arteta explains the difference between Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard

That being said, Arteta shared some very honest and interesting thoughts on Eze before Arsenal’s clash with Olympiacos.

Over the past year or so, some Arsenal fans have been frustrated with Martin Odegaard at times.

Although he’s clearly a supremely talented footballer, Odegaard hasn’t always been capable of deciding games on his own, something supporters in N5 want from their number 10.

Moreover, with Eze now on board, some fans will be hoping that the former Crystal Palace midfielder is given the opportunity ahead of Odegaard on occasion.

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And ahead of facing Olympiacos, Arteta was asked about what Eze brings in a central position in comparison to Odegaard.

Arteta replied: “I think he’s got this different quality, that he does things that, in the book, they’re unexpected.

“When you think he’s going to turn right, he goes left. When he thinks that he’s going to take another touch, he releases the ball.

“It’s his vision, he’s a player who can create those magic moments, and at some point, he can steal the ball in a way that not many players can do.

“Lucky that we have a few of those, but the more we put him in central positions, in those conditions, especially when there’s a threat around him, we’re playing to his strengths.”

Eze has only played half of his Arsenal minutes centrally

Of course, it is interesting to hear that Arteta considers playing Eze in a central position as playing to his ‘strengths’.

Since his arrival from Crystal Palace, Eze has made six appearances for Arsenal, and half of those have been as a left winger.

Therefore, Eze playing on the left may just be a case of Arteta trying to fit as many of his top talents in his starting XI as possible.

When he arrived at the club, Eze said he’d happily play in any position for Arsenal – he just wanted to be on the pitch.

But the 27-year-old is clearly much more effective when he’s played centrally, as Arteta has now admitted.

Either way, when Arsenal face West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, it seems quite likely that Eze will be on the wing.

A superbly talented midfielder, and someone who can help Arsenal win trophies this season, provided that he’s used correctly.