Mikel Arteta insists Eberechi Eze needs no extra encouragement as the former Crystal Palace playmaker finds his feet at Arsenal.
In November, Eze became the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a north London derby, and he was instrumental in the Gunners’ 4-1 dismantling of Tottenham last Sunday, scoring twice.
But the 27-year-old’s form in between those derbies has been inconsistent and Arteta admits he is still getting to know Eze on both an emotional and tactical level.
“Motivation has never been an issue,” boss Arteta said. “I believe that if you have to motivate a player then you have a big problem. Motivation is just talk, for someone to inspire you for a minute of an hour.
“I think the biggest motivation he has is the reason why he came to this club. He really feels attached and belonging here. The rest is moments that you have in your career. When you move to a different club, navigating that and making sure you do everything that you possibly can to make it work.”
Eze came under scrutiny after making a mistake in December’s 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa and he has made just two Premier League starts since they beat Wolves in the middle of that month.
His attacking form has historically improved late in the season, a trend Arteta is eager for Eze to replicate with the Gunners still chasing an historic quadruple.
Arteta revealed he has not entirely closed the door on Eze returning to the left wing at some point, saying: “He can do. Now he has got many more months and games and understanding of what the games require for him to make the difference. I hope that it’s the case and that he smashes it from here until the end of the season.”
The red-hot Viktor Gyokeres was responsible for Arsenal’s two other goals against Spurs, taking him up to 15 goals across all competitions following a slow start after joining from Sporting Lisbon last summer.
Arteta was reminded that the Swede’s current tally is just one shy of Didier Drogba’s total in his first season at Stamford Bridge, with the Ivorian going on to make a habit of scoring against the Gunners in his time at Chelsea.
Asked if such comparisons were helpful, Arteta replied: “It’s always the case about who you compare with. I have a beautiful apartment, but this guy has the biggest mansion in the world. So my apartment is terrible.
“But I can be so proud that I worked so hard to get it and pay the debts of my apartment and refurbish it and have a beautiful kitchen. I go to his house and I get depressed. So it depends on the eyes that you look at it.
“So I think what (Viktor’s) doing is improvable, yes. But I think his contribution, I think it’s been important so far.”
