Arsenal are finally starting to stir in the transfer market this summer, bringing in youngster Lucas Nygaard, confirming David Raya's permanent move and edging ever closer to confirming Riccardo Calafiori's move from Bologna.
However, this is just the start of a long summer of business for the Gunners as they look to go one better in the Premier League next season.
Based on recent reports, the North Londoners have now turned their attention to an England star who has been compared to Spanish ace Dani Olmo, and after last night's heroics in the European Championships, that can only be a good thing.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from the Guardian, Arsenal are one of several sides keen on landing Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this summer.
The story does not mention the other teams or a potential price.
However, according to a recent report from the Sun, the other interested parties include defending champions Manchester City and North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. At the same time, it confirms that the player has a £60m release clause in his current deal.
This level of competition for Eze could make a potential transfer more challenging for Arsenal, but considering his performances last season, the comparison to Olmo and the not-unreasonable fee, it's certainly worth pursuing.
Eze's comparisons to Olmo
Now, before we get on to why Eze would be an excellent signing for Arsenal, let's take a look at this comparison to Olmo and where it came from.
It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues and then creates a list of the ten most similar players for each one, and for the Englishman, they consider the RB Leipzig ace to be the ninth most similar attacking midfielder or winger in those five leagues.
The best way to see the areas in which the two stars overlap is to look at their most similar underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.59
0.55
Progressive Passes
4.08
4.22
Passing Accuracy
77.0
77.8
Goal-Creating Actions
0.48
0.50
Tackles
1.54
1.61
Carries
34.6
33.8
In this case, that includes metrics such as non-penalty expected goals and assists, passing accuracy, tackles, carries, goal-creating actions and progressive passes, all per 90.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
However, their underlying numbers are not the only similarities, as both stars are also positionally versatile and often move between roles out wide and in the middle of the park.
For example, throughout his career, the former Queens Park Rangers dynamo has started 147 games in various central roles, 76 on the left, 16 on the right and even two as a centre-forward.
Likewise, the Spanish international has started 144 matches in the middle of the park, 43 on the left, 42 on the right, five as a striker and two as a second-striker.
This ability to play where he is needed would be a massive bonus for Arteta, who, with players like Ben White, Jakub Kiwior and even Declan Rice to an extent, has shown he genuinely appreciates those who can adapt to differing roles.
Lastly, the "exceptional" Englishman, as dubbed by Statman Dave, would help bring more goals and assists to the North Londoners, as in just 31 appearances for the Eagles last season, he scored 11 goals and provided six assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.82 games.
Ultimately, while £60m is a significant amount of money, Eze looks like he'd be more than worth the investment, and the comparisons to Spain's newest hero are just the icing on the cake.
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