At full time in Crystal Palace’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Eberechi Eze had company.
Much was made of the home side’s Son Heung-min, Oliver Skipp and James Maddison laughing and joking with the Palace midfielder on the pitch.
The assumption might have been that it was an attempt to persuade Eze his future is best served by swapping south London for north to play with them for Tottenham next season. While Eze may have ambitions to play for a club taking part in one of the three European competitions, he is firmly committed to seeing Palace through to safety from relegation this season.
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What happens beyond that, though, is very much uncertain. That lack of clarity is exacerbated by Palace’s situation in the league table and, most importantly, a newly-arrived manager in the process of implementing an unfamiliar formation.
The next three months will be important for Eze.
With two caps already for England, he will be eager to impress sufficiently to break back into Gareth Southgate’s squad in time for the European Championship in Germany this summer.
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Whether he is picked for Euro 2024 or not, there is certain to be interest from clubs in prising him away from Palace at that time, too. Treble winners Manchester City were keen last summer but eventually opted for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Nunes instead, but Eze’s form for Palace at the end of last season and at times during this campaign will have caught the eye again. He must, though, maintain it despite the changes going on at Palace.
Given his contribution to the club over the past four years, it would be hard to hold any ambition to play at a higher level against him.
For their part, Palace are in a reasonably strong negotiating position. Eze has a release clause in the contract he signed late last year, but that is likely higher than the fee they would have received had he not put pen to paper on a deal which runs to 2027. That protected his value at a time when he was approaching the final 18 months of his previous contract.
Talk of what may happen in the summer is premature at this point. The most important focus for Eze is what he can contribute between now and then under Oliver Glasner.
The last time Palace changed their manager, Eze thrived.
Patrick Vieira was disposed of in favour of a return by predecessor Roy Hodgson late in the 2022-23 season and Eze went from finding regular starts hard to come by to scoring six goals in seven games across a 10-match stretch in which he was an ever-present in the starting XI, the previous psychological weight lifted from his shoulders. But the strong relationship with Hodgson and a formation that suited and helped him then are both now in the past.
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Under Glasner, he is going to have to adapt.
The 3-4-2-1 formation the newcomer is using does not necessarily suit him on first viewing given his expected role on the left, just behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and opposite Michael Olise, once the latter is fit again. Eze has shown he is best when given the freedom of a central midfield berth, able to be free of many defensive duties and to glide into the space to create opportunities or score.
Without Eze and Olise, who have both been injured for large parts of this season, Palace have struggled. Now Eze is back (he missed the four league games before the Tottenham trip), he has an opportunity to help his current team stay up, push his England case and potentially elevate his standing among clubs likely to be targeting him in the summer.
He will be one of Palace’s most important players over their remaining 11 games if fit, although replicating the impact he had in the same period last season will be difficult given all the compromises which will need to be made.
Glasner is well aware of his new team’s limitations. Part of his pitch to Palace at his interview related to how he could get the team to score goals if Eze and Olise are missing. With one of the pair back already and the other expected to return next month, he will give them free rein to hurt the opposition.
There may be tweaks to the system if the pressing No 10 role does not suit Eze. Glasner appears to have demonstrated a preparedness to be pragmatic and will be conscious of the need to secure Palace’s Premier League spot for next season at the earliest opportunity. To get the best out of Eze, that pragmatism may be necessary.
After four more games out with a hamstring injury in what was already a stop-start season personally, Eze was understandably rusty in his comeback against Tottenham. He rarely progressed upfield with the ball and failed to create moments for his side to exploit on the counter-attack, frequently giving away possession.
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But then there was a moment of brilliance, which served as a reminder of his quality.
With a trademark glide, he came inside and drew a foul in a threatening position before thumping the ensuing free kick past Guglielmo Vicario to put Palace ahead just before the hour.
Even when he is not otherwise affecting a game, Eze offers possibilities few others in this squad do.
It is significant that, despite having trained for only a week and having not featured in the squad against Burnley the previous Saturday, Glasner put him straight into the team despite an obvious lack of match readiness. There is a recognition that without him, Palace are blunt.
Perhaps more concerning than how Eze gave away the ball against Spurs was that he slowed the game down. Glasner’s system relies on dynamic, quick counter-attacks, swift switches of play and overloading the penalty area against weaker teams. Against the stronger sides, it is likely Palace will play similarly but not the same, as they did on Saturday, with a more defensive outlook.
“We’re learning a new style of play and we put in a good performance for 70 minutes (Tottenham scored all their goals after that point),” Eze said. “It’s tough. The intensity we’re playing at is so much higher than we’ve done before, so to maintain that for 90 minutes is not easy, but I’m sure we’re going to get there over the next few weeks. We feel a lot stronger, so it’s building more than anything.”
While the midfielder does not play particularly well on the left, it should not be too problematic in this system. The wing-backs will naturally offer that width in a 3-4-2-1 setup, allowing the two players behind the striker to be narrow. Tyrick Mitchell, although capable of getting forward, will need to improve in attack to be a more effective foil for Eze down the left.
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His goal against Spurs arrived following a counter-attack, but Eze often receives the ball and takes a moment to assess his options before playing an intricate pass. That is all part of his talent, but it does have a tendency to slow things down.
Glasner wanting his midfielders to press is not suited to Eze’s game, an issue which will require both parties to compromise.
After two games, there is still so much that is unknown about Palace under Glasner and this is just one aspect of it, but given Eze’s importance to the side, it is something that will need a speedy resolution for the benefit of everyone.
(Top photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)