Jermain Defoe tells Tottenham to sign ‘special’ £68m star ahead of Arsenal | Football

Jermain Defoe says Eberechi Eze looks like a ‘Tottenham player’ and would be a welcome addition to Thomas Frank’s squad this summer.

Eze enjoyed an excellent Premier League campaign with Crystal Palace last term, racking up eight goals and eight assists for Oliver Glasner’s side in the English top flight.

But it was in the FA Cup final that Eze reached his greatest height yet, with the 27-year-old firing home the only goal in the Eagles’ famous victory over Manchester City at Wembley.

In the intervening weeks and months, though, Eze’s future has been the subject of intense speculation and there are doubts as to whether the England international will still be a Palace player come the start of the season.

Eze has a £68million release clause in his contract at Selhurst Park – which remains valid until August 15 – and Arsenal and Spurs are both considering moves for the former QPR man.

Recent reports suggested Eze was ‘open’ to the prospect of rejoining Arsenal, 14 years after being released by the Gunners’ academy as a teenager.

But confirmation on Thursday that James Maddison had suffered a serious knee injury has amplified calls for Tottenham to step up their pursuit of Eze – and Defoe believes the Palace star would be a great fit.

‘Eze is someone who, if this makes sense, is a Tottenham player. He’s someone that plays with freedom,’ the ex-Spurs and England striker told talkSPORT.

‘You look at the great players over the years that the club have had and technically how good he is, how confident he is, he’s another special footballer.

‘If that can happen then, of course, it’s only good for the team because, obviously, when you get these injuries, especially long-term injuries, you need to replace these players.’

While Spurs have also been credited with an interest in Jack Grealish, Everton have emerged as the frontrunners to secure a deal for the Manchester City outcast in recent days.

‘Everton sort of makes sense for Grealish. He’s got to play football and, obviously, it is close to Manchester so it makes sense for his family and stuff like that,’ Defoe said of Grealish’s options.

‘Everton are an amazing club. They’ve got a new stadium and an amazing and experienced manager in David Moyes. He’ll give him the freedom to go and express himself.’

Defoe has been encouraged by Tottenham’s transfer business across the summer and hopes the club’s new signings ‘hit the ground running’ under new manager Frank.

‘Joao Palhinha is a top, top player. He’s only going to improve the squad and the team,’ he added.

‘[Mohammed] Kudus is someone I’ve liked for a long time, even before he went to West Ham and you’ve seen in pre-season already what he brings in terms of how dynamic he is, how strong he is.

‘Even when he was at West Ham, I still believed he could do a lot more in terms of goals and assists so hopefully he’ll bring that this season.

‘But we’ll see. I think it’s important to start well. I know sometimes you can start slow and end up doing well.

‘We started well when Nuno [Espirito Santo] was there and with Ange [Postecoglou], I think in the first ten games when he first came in people were talking about Tottenham winning the league.

‘You have to start well and try to maintain it, but with the new signings hitting the ground running, that’s really important.

‘The new manager will demand that anyway and he’ll drive those messages with the staff that are there every single day.’

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