Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised summer recruit Eberechi Eze, following his impressive display in the League Cup win over Port Vale and believes the England international still has a lot to offer the club.
Eze opened his account for the Gunners since completing a £67.5 million move in the summer transfer window from league rivals Crystal Palace, scoring the opener as they eased to a 2-0 win over the League One side.
The England forward has already impressed in some of his appearances for the North London side, but will be buoyed by his first goal for the club on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta started a strong side in the league cup third round tie, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli starting, while Kepa Arrizabalaga made his first start since his summer move from Chelsea.
They took the lead in the eighth minute, when Eze side footed into the net after receiving a pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arsenal did not create much opportunities, but scored a second in the closing stages of the game through substitute Leandro Trossard.
With the win, the Gunners advance to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, where they will play host to Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion.
Arteta impressed by Eze’s first goal
Eberechi Eze netted his first goal since joining the club and will hope it is the first of many more to come.
Speaking after the game, Arteta acknowledged Eze’s impact, but expects more from the England international.
“He played very centrally against a team that went 5-4-1, super-compact inside, it’s not easy to find the space but he’s very capable with the goal and with another three or four actions that he is completely through and [playing] people through,” Arteta said.
“He needs to still play more time a little bit with those guys to understand the timings, especially the things that he needs to do, and then actions like that will be more consistent and better for us. In general very good, there is still a lot more to give I think”, the Spaniard added.
“At the end what we want to do with him is to get him in positions, in spaces that he can create his magic moments. Some of that will be from the wide areas, some of that will be from the right or left in relation to the opposition as well.”
