Mikel Arteta referenced “very unusual giveaways that caused transitions” in his assessment of Arsenal’s first-half difficulties in their 1-0 win against Fulham last weekend.

The Arsenal manager did not give any names but there were a few he could have chosen from. Gabriel Magalhaes was uncharacteristically sloppy on a couple of occasions. As was Leandro Trossard.

Eberechi Eze was another culprit.

Eze’s £67m arrival from Saturday’s opponents Crystal Palace prompted an immediate clamour for Arteta to throw him into his team. Understandably so. He is of course a gem of a player. He has rightly earned praise for some of his early performances.

But there were reminders in that first half against Fulham that he is still in the early stages of adapting to the demands of a new manager and playing style. Eze himself has admitted his “mind is being stretched” as he adjusts to his new surroundings.

The first of the “unusual giveaways” Arteta referred to at Craven Cottage came in the 10th minute, when Eze, playing as Arsenal’s No 10, was dispossessed by Sander Berge and Tom Cairney in the centre circle after eschewing a simple pass to attempt a dribble.

The turnover allowed Josh King to flick the ball on to Raul Jimenez, giving Fulham a three-on-three attack which might have proved costly for Arsenal had the striker’s attempted through-ball to Harry Wilson not been slightly overhit.

Watching it back, there is a notable difference in the speed with which Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori run back compared to Eze, who is slower off the mark having had less time to acclimatise to Arteta’s off-the-ball demands.

Fulham forced another turnover in similar circumstances 20 minutes later, when Eze again opted against a safe pass, this time to Martin Zubimendi, only to see his path blocked by King, who nicked the ball off him and drove deep into Arsenal’s half.

He did get back, but again there was a relative lack of intensity about his attempt to regain possession, with King turning away from him easily and producing a cross-shot that almost crept under the crossbar, leaving Eze holding a hand up in apology.

The missteps can be put down to the adaptation process. His new side are a different proposition to his old one. Arsenal had 63 per cent possession against Fulham. Palace only matched that figure in one Premier League game last season.

Clearly, there is less room to manoeuvre when opponents set up as Fulham did. “He is probably more used to attacking open spaces and breaks and facing and carrying the ball with the space in front of him,” said Arteta after the game.

As for the turnovers, the reason they stood out is because Arteta’s side usually excel at restricting counter-attacking opportunities. Only Bournemouth allowed fewer fast breaks across the 2023/25 and 2024/25 Premier League seasons.

Interestingly, Arsenal sit at the other end of the scale this term, having allowed more fast breaks than any other side, with 13.

Eze is not solely culpable, of course, and the good news for Arsenal is that he is learning quickly. Against Atletico Madrid, he started in the same position and produced a superb display free of “giveaways” but still characterised by skill and creative flair.

This time, he chose better moments to drive forward with the ball. Highlights of his performance included a cute pass through the legs of Giuliano Simeone to create a chance for Myles Lewis-Skelly and a through-ball to put Bukayo Saka in on goal.

Eze was of course brought in by Arsenal to add that X-factor. He was attractive to them precisely because he is different. Arteta’s challenge is just to strike the right balance; to incorporate his spontaneity without compromise defensively.

The Atletico game was a step in the right direction and it should be noted that Eze is having to acclimatise to different positions as well as a new set of team-mates and a new playing style.

Two months into his Arsenal career, he has already been used on both sides of midfield as well as on the left of the front three.

“I’ve been very impressed by how quickly he picks things up, the questions he asks, and how smart he is to navigate through a different environment,” said Arteta last month.

His versatility is a useful asset which has allowed Arteta to gauge where he might be most impactful. So what is his best position?

Martin Odegaard’s injuries have opened space in the team centrally. Eze has the ability to match Odegaard’s creativity there, while also bringing attributes of his own, but the out-of-possession elements of the role might take some getting used to.

Odegaard is invaluable to Arsenal’s press and while Eze has averaged a nearly identical number of pressures since the start of last season, there is a gap in intensity seen in the data for sprints. Odegaard also covers considerably more ground on average.

The differences are rooted in style rather than work-rate. Eze is a more explosive player than Odegaard. He often conserves his energy to maximise his effectiveness on the ball.

But they support the argument that Eze’s future may lie on the left, albeit with licence to come inside and occupy the same spaces in which he thrived for Crystal Palace in possession.

He is not a touchline-hugging wide player but he can be effective as a more conventional winger when needed, as shown by his assist for Viktor Gyokeres against Nottingham Forest, when his low, left-wing cross gave the striker an easy finish.

Of course, the requirements of each game are different. There will be occasions when Arsenal are better served using Eze as part of their midfield three. But starting from the left, rather than centrally, would also allow him to take risks with less likelihood of leaving Arsenal exposed to breaks like the ones cited by Arteta against Fulham.

Because ultimately, Eze needs to be encouraged to follow his instincts, to use his individual brilliance to change games and break teams open. He is adapting to Arsenal. But Arsenal are also adapting to him. The good news is that it is happening quickly.

Watch Arsenal vs Crystal Palace live on Sky Sports Premier League from 12.30pm on Super Sunday; kick-off 2pm