I cried for a week in my room — Eagles star opens up on Arsenal heartbeak

Eberechi Eze has spoken about his time at Arsenal as a teenager and the disappointment that followed the club's decision to let him go.

Eze, who is now one of the Premier League's most exciting players, was not always the dazzling playmaker we see today.

The 25-year-old was at Arsenal's academy for 5 years before being released in 2011.

Speaking to The Independent in 2020, he recalled:

"I was 13 [when I was released]. That was the worst one. I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it’s going to be OK but not being able to get over it.

"Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again. We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager’s hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back."

Eze has put that disappointment behind him, starring for Palace in the Premier League last season, and earning a call-up to the England squad for EURO 2024.