---
title: "Eberechi Eze says he used to love Arsenal cult hero who Pep Guardiola coached"
canonical: "https://readarsenal.com/2026/04/27/eberechi-eze-arsenal-alexander-hleb-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Srinivas Sadhanand"
section: "Arsenal News"
published: "2026-04-27T20:30:00Z"
modified: "2026-04-27T20:30:00Z"
---

# Eberechi Eze says he used to love Arsenal cult hero who Pep Guardiola coached

**At a Glance:**

- Eberechi Eze was a big fan of an Arsenal cult hero.
- Eze also admired Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshere.
- Eze’s favourite Arsenal player is Thierry Henry.

* * *

**Eberechi Eze is the type of player who is always likely to be a fan favourite because at his very best, the England international is an entertainer.**

Eze’s stunner against Newcastle United was another example of his undeniably quality, which makes supporters endear themselves towards the 27-year-old.

Even aside from some of [Arsenal’s greatest-ever players](https://readarsenal.com/2026/03/28/greatest-arsenal-players-all-time/) like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, the Gunners have had a plethora of showmen to have donned the famous red and white strip.

Names like Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin spring to mind. For Eze, Alexander Hleb was a player he used to admire growing up.

- **READ MORE:** [Arsenal player ratings vs Newcastle: Eze electrifies while Havertz halted by injury blow](https://readarsenal.com/2026/04/25/arsenal-player-ratings-vs-newcastle-united/)

## Eberechi Eze says he used to love Alexander Hleb

Hleb spent three seasons at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona in 2008, where he was managed by current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

While the Belarussian perhaps was not [a match-winner like Eze](https://readarsenal.com/2026/04/26/eberechi-eze-crucial-arsenal-title-run-in/), he was also renowned for his sublime technical quality and ability to beat players.

The 44-year-old played 130 games for Arsenal, scoring 10 goals and providing 21 assists.

Eze told The Athletic journalist Art de Roche that he was a big fan of Hleb’s, revealing: “\[Cesc\] Fabregas, \[Robin\] Van Persie, I really liked Hleb.”

> Eze name-dropping Hleb as an influence on his playing style years after retweeting KozielloEN comps 😅 [https://t.co/imhhtlexeZ](https://t.co/imhhtlexeZ) [pic.twitter.com/kx1dwF8niS](https://t.co/kx1dwF8niS)
>
> — Art de Roché (@ArtdeRoche) [April 26, 2026](https://twitter.com/ArtdeRoche/status/2048448186851672365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

“I think there’s players that you can see that they’re distinct, the way they play, the way they operate is special. Jack Wilshere as well, confident, believer of football and that’s the type of guys you resonate with.”

## Eberechi Eze’s favourite Arsenal player

Being a boyhood Arsenal fan, Eze would have been aspired to play for the North Londoners when watching mavericks like Hleb in action.

The 27-year-old would have resonated with the former VfB Stuttgart star, who was also an attacking midfielder by trade. Much like Eze, Hleb could do a job out wide as well.

However, Eze’s idol is Thierry Henry.

Eze was at a loss for words when speaking about Henry in an interview with [Arsenal’s official YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JULbiIXLrA): “At that time? Henry. Henry, yeah, man, that was…”