Arsenal silently handed Eberechi Eze a huge lifeline in the summer transfer window

Eberechi Eze has been silently handed a huge lifeline by Arsenal following their activity during the summer transfer window.

With Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli both departing the club, as highly expected, the Gunners were tipped to bring in two new names to bolster their strength on the left wing, but only Christos Tzolis was signed with further moves for options failing ahead of the window's closure.

The lack of action from Mikel Arteta's side means Tzolis is the only out-and-out candidate to play on the left flank until at least the January window, but the failure to sign another option has handed Eze a chance to prove himself in the position.

Quite surprised at Arsenal's decision not to bring in another new attacker in this window. But it should mean Eberechi Eze starts more on the left now, where he was so effective for Palace

Eze joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace for an initial fee of £60million as the Gunners beat North London rivals Tottenham to his signature and he enjoyed a relatively successful debut season at the Emirates Stadium, making 52 appearances, scoring 10 goals and assisting a further six as he won the Premier League and reached the finals of the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

However, fans can't help but feel his first term in the famous red and white could have been a lot better as there seemed to be a lack of clarity over what role he would play in the team, the number 10 attacking midfielder or the left winger. The former was where he featured most, but he fluctuated between the two over the campaign.

That indecision meant he had to compete with the likes of Martin Ødegaard, Martinelli and Trossard, as well as Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and even Mikel Merino at times. Now, he only seems to have Tzolis to battle with as a choice looks to have been made on where he will play this season.

After Arsenal failed to sign another left winger in the summer, Eze looks set to spend much of his time on the flank for Arteta's side this term. With Ødegaard's fine form keeping the number 10 spot occupied and Tzolis naturally needing some time to re-adapt to the Premier League, the left side seems to be the England international's best chance of playing regular minutes.

Eze is naturally a number 10 so fans will be asking if he is actually capable of playing on the left flank. Not everyone is as good as adapting to a new position like Mikel Merino, but the FA Cup winner is more than capable of doing so and has done before.

Throughout his career, he has played 95 games on the flank, scoring 19 goals and providing 13 assists. At Arsenal, he has been deployed there on 13 times, netting one and assisting one.

Those numbers aren't exactly mindblowing, but this time round, Eze should be able to offer more from the wide spaces with his ability to beat defenders with quick acceleration and the ball tight to his feet likely to help him in attacking situations.

It also has to be considered that during his first season with the Gunners, he needed time to adapt. At Palace, he had been the clear first-choice in whatever position he played given he was the club's best player, but joining the Emirates Stadium outfit was another kettle of fish.

Eze had to ward off competition from a number of players to even knuckle down a starting spot and the slightest mistake was costly, as shown when he was benched for a number of games after making a grave error during a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in December.

This season has potential to be different for Eze though. He can build on his impressive displays last year while only facing battle from Tzolis if he is to fully focus on playing on the left. Being deployed in his natural number 10 role is very likely still, but if the England international wants to be given as many chances as possible, he will have to accept playing on the left too.

Eze has been haded a silent lifeline by Arsenal. His future is nowhere close to being in danger, but he has to take his chances on the left wing in order to prevent that from even becoming a possibility.

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