'The most talented No.10 we have in England' - Tim Sherwood calls on Thomas Tuchel to play Eberechi Eze over Cole Palmer at 2026 World Cup

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood believes Eberechi Eze has to start for England if Thomas Tuchel deploys a number 10 at next year's World Cup. The playmaker scored a brilliant hat-trick in Arsenal's 4-1 rout of Spurs on Sunday, drawing plaudits left, right, and centre. Now, Sherwood has stated that Eze is England's best attacking midfielder - even ahead of Cole Palmer.

Eze revels in Arsenal triumph

When Eze swapped Crystal Palace for Arsenal this summer in a £67.5million ($88m) transfer, many fans were excited about what the 27-year-old could do for Mikel Arteta's attack. While he has shown positive signs, supporters were waiting for him to catch fire for the Gunners, and that came on Sunday in their 4-1 rout of Tottenham. To that end, the boyhood Arsenal fan was thrilled at his contribution and his side's victory over their great rivals.

He told Sky Sports: "That’s a good [feeling]. Enjoyable day, happy to help the team and to win today is special. It feels special, man. I’m grateful again, this is what I pray for. I prayed for it today, a hat-trick, and I got it today so I’m grateful to God."

Manager Arteta struck an equally ecstatic tone after the north London derby victory.

The Spaniard told BBC's Match of the Day: "It's a very special day for us. We knew the importance of the match and what it means to our fans. To be able to give them that joy, it's a beautiful day. We dominated every part of the game. We created massive chances and had a lot of actions that we were very close to scoring. We stayed patient. Whoever we put in there they do the jobs for us. This squad has the belief and quality to deliver consistently." 

England v Serbia - FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier

Eze for England

Former Tottenham manager and player Sherwood has tipped Eze for a starting spot at next year's World Cup. He thinks that if Tuchel deploys a number 10, Eze is the perfect candidate for that role, despite having competition from Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, Chelsea's Palmer, and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers.

Sherwood told Sky Fan Club: "We can get a bit carried away because he scored a hat-trick in the North London derby, it’s massive for Eze, it’s massive for Arsenal. But if you asked me before, who’s the most talented number 10, an actual number 10, who’s going to play in that central area? I would say Eze. He’s quick, he plays off both feet. He’s got everything. He’s got the vision. He’s the most talented number 10 we have in England. If we’re going to play with a No10, I’m not sure if Thomas Tuchel wants to do that in the World Cup. If we play a number 10, it has to be Eze."

Eze was also asked about what it meant to score for Arsenal against a Tottenham side he was close to signing for this summer. Although he somewhat dodged the question, Sherwood praised him for it. 

He added: "Credit to the boy, he didn’t look like he was bothered by the atmosphere. He knows the noise surrounding that game. For him, he just took it on his shoulders. And big players do that."

Eze can produce 'magic moments'

While Arteta was naturally delighted with Eze's efforts, he felt the former Queens Park Rangers star could have had more goals on the night. But he certainly values having a player in his squad who can create "magic moments".

He told BBC Sport: "That tells you about the difficulty and what he's done today. To be fair he could have scored four or five. He's a big player who can create magic moments which unbalance a team. We dominated every part of the game. We created massive chances and had a lot of actions that we were very close to scoring. We stayed patient. Whoever we put in there they do the jobs for us. This squad has the belief and quality to deliver consistently. We have really good momentum but you can see how difficult every game in the Premier League is. It's a long run, let's go game by game. Let's enjoy tonight, then we have Bayern [Munich] here and Chelsea away. We have a tough week."

FBL-ENG-PR-ARSENAL-TOTTENHAM

What comes next for Arsenal?

While one big test has been emphatically passed, Arsenal face an even bigger one on Wednesday at home to a firing on all cylinders Bayern Munich side in the Champions League. Then on Sunday, the table-topping Gunners travel to second-placed Chelsea in the Premier League in what are two massive fixtures.