After speculation linked him with a move to Manchester City this summer and with Newcastle reportedly also circling, Crystal Palace are set to reward Eberechi Eze for his pre-injury form with a new £100,000-a-week contract ending questions over the England international’s future – at least short-term.
First Olise, now Eze: Palace completing extensions
- After several weeks of talks the Daily Mail today reported Crystal Palace have made a breakthrough and agreed a new contract with England midfielder Eberechi Eze at £100,000-a-week – only finalities remain
- Chelsea were expected to re-sign their former academy player Michael Olise this summer, before Palace chairman Steve Parish tweeted confirmation the France U21 international signed a new four-year deal
- Eze, who played youth football for Arsenal, Fulham, Reading and Millwall before finding a permanent home at QPR in 2017-18, made his England debut in June and will strive to make the Euro 2024 squad next summer
Eberechi Eze scored 10 goals and created four more last season as Crystal Palace navigated their way out of potential relegation danger with old boss Roy Hodgson reintroduced after Patrick Vieira’s dismissal.
The 25-year-old had seven goal contributions in his last nine games, all but one (a goal in their 5-1 away win over Leeds) proved decisive as far as winning points were concerned, and it didn’t go unnoticed at club or international level.
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City’s pursuit of West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta hit a snag when reports emerged the Brazilian was being investigated for potential betting breaches by the FA, and Eze was one of two players they were targeting as an alternative.
Opting for a cheaper player in Wolves’ Matheus Nunes, on which the jury is still out, Champions League side Newcastle have also been credited with an interest.
That speculation will undoubtedly cool, at least until the season’s end once this extension is confirmed. It also gives Palace more bargaining power than currently, with 18 months left to run on his existing deal in January.
There’s no word on whether a release clause or gentleman’s agreement has been inserted as an extension clause, but that’s understandable given how easily information can leak to rival clubs.
Eze recently recovered from a hamstring injury sidelining him for a month, creating an assist for Tyrick Mitchell off the bench during their 2-0 away win over Burnley last weekend. As it stands, he’s in-line for a bigger role when Sean Dyche’s Everton come to south London this weekend.
Picture source: Getty Images
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