Eze says one Arsenal star is “on another level”

November 20, 2025 Oliver Obel

Eberechi Eze’s first months at Arsenal have moved quickly — faster, he admits, than he expected when he made the jump from Crystal Palace in the summer. The £67.5m move was a big step both professionally and personally, but in his words, it already feels like he’s landed somewhere he had dreamed about as a kid.

He has chipped in with goals and assists, slotted into several midfield roles during an injury-heavy stretch, and helped Arsenal stay on top of the Premier League going into the latest international break.

That alone would make for a positive start. But Eze says there’s more to his early comfort than the results.

“If I try to describe it, it doesn’t do it justice”

On the latest Beast Mode On podcast with Adebayo Akinfenwa, Eze didn’t hide how much the move meant to him. There was a noticeable pause before he spoke — almost as if he was weighing up how to put the feeling into words.

“If I use words to try and describe the feeling, it’s not doing it justice,” he finally said, leaning back as he tried again to explain just how surreal it has felt to represent the club he supported growing up.

What has made the transition easier, he added, is Mikel Arteta.

“He is incredible,” Eze said. “Attention to detail, how much I’m learning so fast… the type of player I can see I will become in this environment.”

The respect in his voice was obvious. He described Arteta as “driven, focused and relentless every day,” the sort of manager he believes can pull the best out of him.

The teammate he didn’t expect to stand out this much

With a squad as stacked as Arsenal’s, you’d expect Eze to immediately mention one of the usual headline names — Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice.

Instead, when Akinfenwa asked which teammate had impressed him the most on a day-to-day basis, Eze pointed to someone who often works more quietly in the background.

“Jurrien Timber,” he said without hesitation.

Eze explained that he had already heard strong things about Timber before arriving. Even so, the Dutch defender somehow “went beyond” those high expectations.

“He’s a special player and a special guy,” Eze said, adding that Timber’s consistency, attitude and everyday professionalism have stood out even more than his match performances.

It’s not hard to see why. Timber has featured in every league and Champions League match this season, and Arsenal’s defensive record — only five goals conceded across those games — speaks for itself.

Earlier impressions that paint a fuller picture

This isn’t the first time Eze has offered small glimpses into the squad dynamic. In comments earlier this autumn, he called Odegaard the most skilful player at the club. He mentioned Noni Madueke as the quickest, and said Madueke and Riccardo Calafiori are usually the ones cracking jokes around the training ground. Saka, he noted, is the one teammate he would always want alongside him, while Rice has the strongest engine in the group.

And for a player who could make a future manager? Eze picked David Raya, suggesting the goalkeeper already has the personality and clarity you’d expect from someone preparing for the job.

A player who appears completely at home

What comes across most in all of this is how comfortable — and motivated — Eze seems in his new environment. Whether he’s talking about the relentlessness of Arteta or the example set by Timber, his comments point to a player who feels he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be, surrounded by teammates who raise the bar every day.

Sources: Beast Mode On podcast, Goal.