Crystal Palace has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence under Roy Hodgson since he replaced Patrick Vieira as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
In the 13 Premier League games prior to the 75-year-old’s appointment, the Eagles were winless and were floundering just three points above the relegation zone.
But since his arrival, the south London outfit has won four of six games and netted 13 goals in the process.
Eberechi Eze is one player who has enormously excelled with both managers and emerged as one of the club’s most valuable assets.
The 24-year-old, who cost £20m in 2020, has registered 11 goal contributions in 34 top-flight appearances this term and has seen his value rise exponentially since his stirring breakout season at Queens Park Rangers.
How much is Eberechi Eze worth now?
In the 2019/20 season, the playmaker featured in every single Championship game and recorded 22 goal contributions with an incredible average rating of 7.36, as per WhoScored.
This prompted Palace to invest in the prodigy, and it has transpired as an exhilarating piece of business. According to Transfermarkt, his value at the end of this campaign was £8m, but a vein of rich form saw his price tag skyrocket to £26m earlier this term – a mammoth increase of over 225%.
His undeniable quality was marvellously showcased in his side’s recent enthralling 4-3 victory over West Ham. As per Sofascore, the midfielder made four key passes, two accurate crosses, managed 77 touches with a 93% pass completion rate and classily tucked away Palace’s fourth goal of the match with an impudent penalty.
In this wonderfully productive campaign, Eze has shouldered the creative burden placed upon Wilfried Zaha in recent years.
He is an effortlessly unstoppable and elegant dribbler, ranking in the top 1% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for successful take-ons, as well as the top 14% for progressive carries.
The £30k-per-week star has previously been labelled as a “different class” by Vieira and his innovative presence was sorely missed last season after an achilles injury restricted the player to under 600 minutes of top-flight football.
The attacker was about to be named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for Euro 2020 before this cruel twist dashed his chances.
However, the forward has revived his career, and if he continues on his frightening trajectory is surely lined up for a national team call-up in the near future.
It has been a pleasure to observe his comeback from injury and as he approaches the prime of his career, there is no limit to Eze and his ridiculous talent. Palace truly struck gold when bringing him to Selhurst Park.