Arsenal among six clubs who rejected chance to sign Crystal Palace star

Following a successful loan stint at Wycombe Wanderers, Eze established himself as a first-team regular at QPR and made over 100 appearances during his four-year spell at the Championship club.

The midfielder's impressive form in the EFL caught the attention of Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace, who decided to fork out a reported £17m in the summer of 2020.

Eze has since developed into a key player for the Eagles, contributing with 22 goals and 15 assists in 119 games across all competitions, including seven goals and four assists in 26 outings so far this season.

The Greenwich-born midfielder, who was rewarded with his first senior England cap in June last year, scored the only goal to help Palace claim a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, boosting the Eagles hopes of survival in the top flight.

Eze is now an established Premier League player who is understood to have caught the eye of a number of top clubs over the last 12 months, but the midfielder has opened up on the difficulties that he had at youth level in finding a club where he could kick-start his career.

Palace's No.10 has confirmed that Arsenal, Fulham, Reading and Millwall all released him as a youngster, while both Sunderland and Bristol City opted against signing him following a trial.

Speaking on the Second Tier Podcast, Eze said: «So I started at Bruin, that's a Sunday League team. Was there for maybe half a year before getting scouted by a few teams like Arsenal, Chelsea —