Following Eberechi Eze’s stunning hat-trick in the North London Derby, Jamie Carragher has issued an apology for previously undervaluing Arsenal’s summer acquisition of the player, according to a report from the Evening Standard.
Eze joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in a transfer deal that could be worth £67.5 million. Despite the significant investment, Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports after the 4-1 victory over Tottenham, admitted he initially saw the move primarily as a depth signing.
Carragher said: “I must be honest, I think in the summer when Arsenal signed and I had my Liverpool hat on and I looked at the signings Arsenal made and besides [Victor] Gyokeres, it felt a lot of them were to strengthen the squad really.”
The former Liverpool defender placed the Eze signing in the context of cover for existing stars, explaining that the club bought him because “Odegaard was out, they got Eze.”
Carragher conceded that his initial assessment was incorrect after watching the midfielder’s sensational performance: “So when Eze came in, I thought ‘ok maybe it’s not a gamechanger’ […]
So, apologies. I’ve certainly undervalued the importance of that signing because he looks like he could make the real difference for Arsenal this season and going on to win the title.”
The hat-trick hero has clearly announced himself after a steady start, forcing the pundit to backtrack on his original verdict.