Mikel Arteta makes Eberechi Eze starting XI announcement ahead of Liverpool vs Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has thrown his support behind Eberechi Eze to make a significant impact at Arsenal, starting with a statement performance at Anfield. The England international midfielder, who recently joined from Crystal Palace for a hefty £67.5million, has previously played a role in thwarting Liverpool's Premier League title ambitions.

Eze scored a crucial goal for Palace in Merseyside in April 2024, resulting in a 1-0 victory that dashed Jurgen Klopp's dreams of a perfect conclusion to his remarkable nine-year tenure at the Reds.

When questioned if the 27-year-old is prepared to step up in the absence of Bukayo Saka and possibly Martin Odegaard, Arteta's answer was resolute: "Yes, he's played there many times and I think he's the type of player that loves these scenarios and these moments. I think the moment he starts to play, we will see how the team will react and what connections will flourish from his interventions. I'm very confident because he's played in the league for so many years.

"We're adapting to his qualities and making sure that we put him in the right positions as often as possible.

"We have to put him in the positions and scenarios where he can deliver those moments which are the reason why we brought him here to give us something different, something unexpected.

"As we know, the outcome of that is really big."

Arteta maintains that Eze's arrival has sparked excitement at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, overshadowing the disappointment of losing several key players to injury.

When asked what he has noticed about his latest arrival in training, Arteta said: "First of all, his energy.

"I think when you are next to him, you are comfortable, he's got a big smile, he picks things and he asks you the right questions.

"Then, just him flowing above and the ability he has to pick passes, to drive past people effortlessly and just to understand the timing of things, it's very impressive."

Eze's availability - alongside the arrival of Noni Madueke - has sparked additional rivalry on the left flank of Arsenal's recently strengthened attack.

Nevertheless, the Arsenal manager insists he has no intention of offloading Gabriel Martinelli before Monday's deadline.

He said when questioned on whether the Brazilian was available for transfer: "No and I think Gabi's been a super important player for us and he's going to remain very, very, very important.

"The fact that we have options with different qualities is going to fulfil what we want because every opponent is going to require different things.

"Then there's the state, the moment, the way that those players are impacting the game and that competition is needed."

Arteta added he has no worries about maintaining squad harmony following a record-breaking summer and seven new signings.

He concluded: "Worry? No, I think the word is that I care that everybody is as happy as they possibly can be.

"That's a big part of my job, our job at the end, to make sure that every player feels that he's fulfilling his potential".