Battle with Arsenal for Eze was capital clash Spurs could not win

As a boyhood fan of the Gunners, the Crystal Palace forward was destined for the red side of north London

- David Hytner

It was towards the end of June when it became clear that Tottenham were considering a move for Eberechi Eze, one to install him as the centrepiece of their new project under Thomas Frank. Or, at least, when it became public knowledge. And it was the prompt for two things to happen.

Firstly, it would be reported a few days later that Arsenal were also on the case. The club's new sporting director, Andrea Berta, had put the feelers out for the Crystal Palace forward. Call it a declaration of interest, albeit Berta was having a lot of conversations about a lot of potential targets at the time. His idea was to have plenty of options on the boil before deciding which to prioritise.

Then, there was a subtle change to the mood music at Spurs, a kind of step back into a holding pattern. Agent talk, was the word inside the club. Eze was more likely to stay at Palace. It would be wrong to get too far ahead of anything on this one. But it was impossible to ignore the alternative reading: Spurs did not want to be drawn into a battle with their rivals over one of the most exciting talents on the market.

Spurs were fearful of that, and for good reason. They had to know that, given the choice, Eze would go for Arsenal over them. There were the emotional reasons. He had supported Arsenal as a kid and played in their academy until his release as a 13-year-old; the line about how he cried for a week afterwards is well-known. Yet it would not only be about dreams and unfinished business. Eze would surely look at the Premier League table from last season. At which club would he stand the better chance of winning the title?