Eberechi Eze could not resist a small dig at Tottenham after being reminded about how different his last season could have been. Eze and his Arsenal teammates finally got their hands on the Premier League trophy on Sunday, having been crowned champions in midweek. The Gunners secured a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on the final day before celebrating on the pitch at Selhurst Park, a full-circle moment for Eze who left Palace last summer to join Mikel Arteta's side.
However, it could have been a different season entirely for the 27-year-old, who at one point looked destined to join Tottenham before an 11th-hour intervention from their north London rivals. Eze was quick to laugh at the sliding doors moment when jokingly asked by former Gunners defender Lee Dixon if his decision to join Arsenal rather than fighting relegation with Spurs was the right one.
'I'm pretty sure I did [make the right decision], I'm pretty sure I did,' a grinning Eze replied to NBC Sports. Asked about his emotions more generally having won his first league title, Eze added: 'Yeah, no words, no words to describe this feeling. It's been a long season, so many ups, downs, but we've reached the end of the marathon and having won, I can only thank God.'
Champions League Final Next
The season could well get better still for Arsenal as they now turn their attention to next weekend's Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Eze insisted that the mood inside the dressing room has only grown following their league title triumph.
'It's faith, it's faith and belief,' he added. 'I think that's what it is, it's showing itself in so many different places. And I just feel like everyone's got this feeling that we can do it, that we can achieve things, that the journey is being paved for us. And as long as we're doing everything we can, God's going to take care of the rest. And I feel like that feeling is all over the place, really.'
Leadership Praised by Rice
Elsewhere, Eze's leadership was praised by Declan Rice, who said his fellow countryman's calming presence in the dressing room helped the team immensely down the closing stretch. 'He's such a calm guy, you see how he is on the pitch that's how he is off the pitch,' Rice said. 'He just calmed everyone and it was really nice. That's been another thing this season, there's been a lot of people who have stepped up behind the scenes. Nobody would think they're leaders but they've really been talking within the group and they've pushed people in quiet one to ones. It's been a real group effort this season.'
