Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals why Eberechi Eze is starting north London derby against Tottenham

Mikel Arteta has explained why Eberechi Eze starts for Arsenal against Tottenham in the north London derby.

Eze has been named in Arsenal’s starting XI against Spurs as they aim to bounce back from their midweek setback to Wolves and respond to Manchester City’s win over Newcastle on Saturday.

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The attacking midfielder, who rejected a move to Tottenham in favor of a move to the Gunners last summer, has found Premier League starts few and far between since the 2-1 win over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium in December.

Eze scored a hat-trick when the sides met in the first north London derby of the season at the Emirates Stadium in November and also scored a brace on his last visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while playing for Crystal Palace.

Speaking before kick-off, Arteta said: “Certainly, it’s our recent history and his recent history with them and because we think for this game he is the right player to play in that position.

“He’s very, very good, that’s why.”

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Arsenal have captain Martin Odegaard back in the matchday squad after missing the last two matches with a knee injury, but Kai Havertz and Ben White are completely absent.

“We tried with Kai, unfortunately it was too early, but Martin can play a few minutes,” Arteta told reporters before kick-off.

“It was Ben, he had a little problem yesterday and he couldn’t take part in the match.”