Eberechi Eze transfer sparks warning Mikel Arteta won't like about Arsenal dressing room

Former Arsenal midfielder Anders Limpar is concerned the seemingly imminent arrival of Eberechi Eze could cause unrest among Mikel Arteta's attacking options. The Swede believes the Gunners trio of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and recent recruit Noni Madueke may be left frustrated by the big-money move.

Earlier this week, it seemed as though the Crystal Palace star was on his way to Tottenham Hotspur. But Kai Havertz's latest injury appeared to promptArsenal to swoop in and meet the Eagles' £68million valuation of the England international. Assuming he passes his medical scheduled for Friday, Eze will become the seventh new face at the Emirates this summer. While many Gunners fans are thrilled at the prospect of the England international joining their ranks, Limpar has voiced his worries about the potential impact on Arteta's existing forwards.

The Swede told Boyle Sports: "To bring another one in, if you want to play Eze, what is Madueke going to do? What about Martinelli? And Trossard? You can't just buy players for fun. You have to have this chemistry among the players.

"The team we have now, that's the team we're going to win with. End of story. I don't think we need any more players at the moment because Arsenal have a tremendous team spirit."

Martinelli has been amongst Arteta's most trusted players for numerous campaigns, whilst Trossard - who is allegedly set to sign fresh terms in north London - has featured intermittently in the starting line-up.

Madueke began as a substitute in Arsenal's 1-0 triumph at Manchester United on Sunday, entering the fray to replace Martinelli after 60 minutes. Back in January, former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott joined a chorus of voices criticising the Brazilian, who has frequently faced accusations of lacking a clinical finish.

Whilst many consider him insufficiently ruthless, Limpar believes much of the criticism directed towards Martinelli is unjustified. He added: "I think it's a little bit unfair to say that about Gabriel Martinelli (he's got no end product) because at one stage of the season Arteta must have told him to get back more.

"He was attacking, he was scoring and producing crosses and still chasing back. You can see he was chasing back all the way to his own defence and in that sense he helped Arsenal so much that you can't just turn around and complain that he's not having the end product.

"In my opinion, I think it's a little bit unfair the criticism he gets. He's a good player, but imagine yourself if you're a starter and suddenly Arsenal fans are screaming for a new winger. That's not fun to hear if you're a player.

"Madueke has come in. There's talk about Eze. That can't be good for Martinelli's confidence. He did tremendous work for the team defensively. You can't have it all. I like him as a player."

With skipper Martin Odegaard and star man Bukayo Saka virtually guaranteed starting positions in the squad, alongside new striker Viktor Gyokeres, Arteta will need to implement rotation as Arsenal aim to challenge across four tournaments this campaign.

Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi are anticipated to form the midfield partnership, meaning it's unavoidable that some players won't be entirely satisfied with their playing time at Arsenal this season.