‘Me and my mum cried, everyone was so upset’: Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze admits he was in TEARS when Arsenal let him go at 13… but credits rejection with his Premier League success
- Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze was picked up by Arsenal as a youngster
- However the midfielder was let go by the Gunners when he was just 13 years-old
- After spells with Fulham, Reading and Millwall, Eze landed with QPR
- He secured a £17million switch to Crystal Palace in August and has impressed
Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze has admitted he was in floods of tears after learning that Arsenal were releasing him as a youngster.
The 22 year-old has impressed since making a £17million move to Palace from QPR on a five-year deal in August.
However success has not always come easy to the Londoner, who thought he would make it big with the Gunners when he signed for them before his 16th birthday.
‘I got scouted by a few clubs and that’s when I first went to Arsenal, he told Premier .
Eberechi Eze was rejected by Arsenal when he was 13 and thought his career was over
But the midfielder has bounced back and impressed since his £17m move to Crystal Palace
‘At a young age, it was hard, especially being released. Me and my mum cried, everyone was so upset – that’s all you know at that age.
‘But looking back at it now, that’s the start of my journey and I’m grateful to God that’s how it went. If it wasn’t for that, I may not have got the resilience, bravery, to go and be who I want to be elsewhere. It’s shaped me to be who I am today.
Eze played for Reading, Fulham and Millwall before joining QPR having left north London
Eze was picked up by Fulham and Reading before spending time with Millwall after being released by Arsenal.
He eventually made a move to QPR where he made his name and secured his big-money move to the Premier League.
‘I was coming to terms with how difficult it was going to be. That’s what it was for me, realising this is going to be a lot harder than I may have thought, getting a pro contract somewhere and becoming what I want to become.
‘I knew that was a bit further than I once thought.’
Eze should feature in Palace’s Boxing Day clash against Aston Villa.
