Eberechi Eze will not make his European debut tonight with a dream move to Arsenal pending.

The England star was set to start his farewell match for Crystal Palace in the Conference League ahead of a £60million move to north London, but talkSPORT understands that won’t happen now.

2

Palace arrived at Selhurst Park to face Norwegian side Fredrikstad at 4:45pm, and Eze wasn’t on the bus, meaning his final game for the Eagles as was the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

The Gunners made a late swoop for the 27-year-old after rivals Tottenham had been closing in on securing a deal to sign him.

talkSPORT confirmed on Wednesday night that the Gunners and Palace have reached an agreement in principle for £60m, plus add-ons, for the playmaker, which is a club-record sale for the Eagles.

Boyhood Gooner Eze, who also played in the club’s academy, went back on his agreement with Spurs to return to the Emirates.

Oliver Glasner had already insisted that Eze’s emotional reaction to fans following Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea wasn’t a goodbye, but it appears it was.

So with that in mind, talkSPORT.com looks at whether the England international will have the chance to say farewell on the pitch…

Will Eze play for Crystal Palace tonight?

Eagles boss Glasner confirmed ahead of the match that Eze wouldn’t play.

Speaking to a few fans when asked if Eze was playing, he said: “No.

“He will not be playing tonight. I don’t even know if he’s going to be here.”

2

Will Eze be cup-tied for Arsenal in the Champions League?

Given Eze won’t now be playing in Europe, there is no chance of him being cup-tied.

But even if he had played, UEFA regulations have clearly outlined the stipulations regarding players representing multiple clubs in a single season.

Fortunately for Arsenal, should Eze appear as expected against Fredrikstad, this will not affect future Champions League prospects.

This is because qualifying or play-off rounds don’t prevent players from turning out for a different team in the league phase of any of UEFA’s top three competitions.

As Crystal Palace’s clash with Fredrikstad is a play-off, and Arsenal are already safely into the league phase of the Champions League, Eze would be allowed to play in both.

Should Eze play in the Conference League proper, then the Gunners would have to wait until the knockout rounds to register him.