Mikel Arteta explains the real reason he’s dropped Arsenal summer signing

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has now opened up on the situation of Eberechi Eze, who has not played too much in recent weeks. 

The 27-year-old has played just 198 minutes of first-team football in his last four appearances. He has started just 11 league games for Arsenal so far.

Naturally, there has been speculation surrounding the player and his importance to Arteta. The Arsenal manager has now revealed that the 27-year-old has had ample game time, and he would not have played as much at Crystal Palace in the past, because the Eagles did not have European football until this season.

? Mikel Arteta has explained the *real* reason Eberechi Eze hasn’t played ANY of Arsenal’s last three games…? pic.twitter.com/kIEKTtLDtU

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 2, 2026

Therefore, Eze has played his usual minutes with Arsenal so far, and his gametime will have to be managed.

Arteta said: “I speak to every player and the players always need to understand, and the manager needs to understand how each one is feeling, assess games, assess their emotional state. Eze has played more games and more minutes than ever at this time. So he’s played 22, I think, out of 28 games or something like that, so he never played that much football, so we’re on a good track.”

Eze is a quality player who has proven himself in the Premier League over the years. He has impressed with Arsenal since joining the club, and he will be hoping to play regularly. However, Arsenal cannot afford to overuse the player. Eze will need to adapt to the increased workload and fixtures as well.

The approach from the Arsenal manager seems reasonable right now.

The 27-year-old could be a key player for the team during the second half of the season. Arsenal are pushing for the League title and the UEFA Champions League. They need to manage their squad properly if they want to do well in both competitions.

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