\n<\/p>\n
It’s been a difficult period for Eze, who has found minutes in the league hard to come by and this was was only his second start in the league since December.<\/p>\n
He has a tough route into the team with captain Martin Odegaard a key part of Arteta’s first-choice midfield when he is fit and Leandro Trossard being in good form on the left wing, which is the other position Eze might feature. <\/p>\n
The Arsenal<\/a> boss did trial Eze on the left, but he switched off when Matty Cash scored Aston Villa<\/a>‘s opener in their 2-1 defeat in December and, despite starting the following game, he was left on the substitute’s bench for the next four league matches.<\/p>\n Arteta opted to play England winger Bukayo Saka from the start in the disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves<\/a> in midweek as a number 10 – ahead of Eze, who started on the bench.<\/p>\n And the Spaniard admitted: “He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him the other day from the beginning, and some of the decisions that I made. And I just have to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.”<\/p>\n Arteta was asked by BBC Sport whether Eze’s record of producing goals at the end of the season was one of the reasons they signed him. <\/p>\n “We looked at every stat, but that one, to be very honest, no,” he added while laughing. <\/p>\n “He scored five goals in the last few games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.”<\/p>\n