How Is Yeremy Pino Making Crystal Palace’s Task of Replacing Eberechi Eze Less Daunting?

Replacing Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace was never going to be an easy job. The England international’s departure to Arsenal left a massive void at Selhurst Park—a player whose individual brilliance could single-handedly change matches in the Eagles’ favor, whose creativity made him the team’s creative fulcrum, whose influence permeated every attacking phase of play. Finding someone capable of filling those shoes seemed an impossible task.

Enter Yeremy Pino, the 23-year-old Spanish international who arrived from Villarreal in August 2025 with the unenviable responsibility of making Crystal Palace forget about their departed star. While Eze was busy scoring a historic hat-trick in the North London derby for Arsenal, Pino was quietly announcing his own arrival in the Premier League with a gorgeous first goal for Crystal Palace in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Wolves.

This isn’t to suggest one goal makes Pino “better than Eze”—such comparisons would be premature and unfair. But what’s becoming increasingly clear is that Yeremy Pino’s unique blend of craft and graft, his tactical intelligence, and his relentless work rate are making the daunting task of replacing one of the Premier League’s most talented playmakers considerably less overwhelming than many feared.

The Eze Era: A Tough Act to Follow

To understand the magnitude of Yeremy Pino’s challenge, it’s essential to recognize what Eberechi Eze represented to Crystal Palace. The former Arsenal academy player who returned to London as a professional became the heartbeat of Oliver Glasner’s system, a player whose technical quality and creative vision made him invaluable.

Eze’s influence at Selhurst Park extended far beyond simple statistics. He was Crystal Palace’s joker in the pack, capable of producing moments of magic when the team needed them most. His ability to receive the ball under pressure, turn defenders inside out with his dribbling, and create chances from seemingly impossible situations made him one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents.

Last season, Eze was involved in 5.3 open-play attacking sequences per 90 minutes—a testament to how frequently Crystal Palace’s attacks flowed through him. He produced 13 through balls across the campaign, constantly looking to unlock opposition defenses with incisive passes. His creative output of two open-play assists from 1.32 expected assists (xA) demonstrated both his quality and his teammates’ ability to convert the chances he created.

When Arsenal came calling with a substantial offer, Crystal Palace faced a dilemma familiar to mid-table Premier League clubs: sell a star player for significant profit or risk losing him for less in the future. They chose to sell, banking the funds and immediately reinvesting in Yeremy Pino as Eze’s replacement.

The scrutiny was intense from day one. Pino would be judged not just on his own performances but on how closely he could replicate what Eze had provided. For many observers, this seemed an almost impossible standard to meet.

Pino’s Arrival: A Different Profile, Similar Impact

Yeremy Pino arrived at Crystal Palace with an impressive pedigree despite his youth. A Spain international at just 18 years old, Pino had already established himself as one of La Liga’s brightest prospects during his time at Villarreal. However, his profile raised questions among some supporters.

Pino possesses the build of a classic Spanish playmaker—hardly a physical force of nature. For some, this made him seem like a gamble in the physically demanding Premier League. Would he be able to handle the intensity? Could he cope with the aggressive pressing and physicality that characterizes English football?

These concerns have proven largely unfounded. What Yeremy Pino lacks in physical stature, he more than compensates for with technical ability, positional intelligence, and an extraordinary work rate that has surprised even those who followed his career in Spain.

The First Goal: Announcing His Arrival

Yeremy Pino’s first Premier League goal came in Crystal Palace’s 2-0 victory over Wolves, a gorgeous strike that showcased both his technical quality and his growing confidence in English football. The goal was important not just for the scoreline but for what it represented—a player beginning to feel at home, ready to make his mark at his new club.

Coming into the squad in place of Eze, there existed an expectation of goals—both scoring and creating them. Pino’s strike against Wolves was his first goal involvement in the Premier League, and a tally of one goal involvement from 10 top-flight appearances might not appear particularly eye-catching at first glance.

However, focusing solely on goals and assists would be to miss the broader picture of what Yeremy Pino offers Crystal Palace. There is clearly a lot more to football than headline numbers, and Pino represents an excellent example of a player whose value extends far beyond the traditional attacking metrics.

Positional Versatility: The Tactical Chameleon

One of Yeremy Pino’s most valuable attributes is his positional versatility. His profile can be difficult to pin down to one specific position or role—and that’s a significant advantage. Technically gifted, dynamic, and inventive, Pino can be impactful in many ways, which explains why he’s been moved around considerably throughout his career.

At Villarreal last season, Pino spent most of his time playing from the right flank. In that position, his dribbling ability and awareness of teammates’ positions made him a reliable outlet, though he felt the role required significant defensive responsibility and “grunt work” that limited his attacking freedom.

Pino was then moved over to the left wing in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season, a switch that allowed him—in his own words—to “show my best version and shine.” He began this season in that position as well and has maintained it for the most part since joining Crystal Palace.

The left-wing role is crucial for how Yeremy Pino operates within Crystal Palace’s system. Much like Eze before him, playing from the left encourages Pino to come inside onto his stronger right foot, naturally taking up more central positions. This tactical positioning offers multiple benefits.

First, it ensures Pino is more involved in build-up play, receiving the ball in dangerous central areas where he can influence the game. Second, it prevents him from occupying the same spaces as Tyrick Mitchell, Crystal Palace’s marauding left wing-back whose overlapping runs are crucial to the team’s transition-based style.

Coming inside onto his stronger foot opens up the pitch, bringing more passing options into Pino’s view. This is particularly helpful for creative players and especially relevant at Crystal Palace, who advance aggressively when transitioning from defense to attack.

The Transition Machine: Fitting Palace’s System

Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner play a distinctive style built around rapid transitions. They defend compactly, win possession, and then explode forward with pace and purpose, looking to catch opponents before they can reorganize defensively. This approach requires players who understand when to move quickly and when to make the killer pass.

The statistics illustrate Crystal Palace’s transition-focused philosophy. Among the top 20 players this season for most off-ball runs in the Premier League, four play for Crystal Palace—more than any other team. They are relentless in their forward movement when opportunities arise.

Yeremy Pino appears to be fitting into this system exceptionally well because he understands when there’s a need to make the pass quickly. His decision-making in transition moments has been consistently impressive, even if the final outcomes haven’t always reflected his quality.

One scenario against Wolves perfectly illustrated this understanding. Pino received the ball in space on the left, quickly assessed his options, and played a first-time through ball into the path of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s run. The pass was perfectly weighted, the timing impeccable. Unfortunately, Mateta put his eventual shot wide, denying Pino what should have been his first Premier League assist.

A little later in the same match, Mateta was again the target of a through ball from Pino, though on this occasion he was crowded out by Wolves’ defense before he could shoot. Nevertheless, it was a strategy that caused Wolves significant problems. Pino had looked for a run from Mateta in the first minute but slightly overcooked his pass—seemingly a sighter, as his subsequent attempts were perfectly executed.

The Through Ball Specialist

This pattern of incisive passing isn’t isolated to the Wolves match. During Crystal Palace’s October defeat to Arsenal, Pino played a through ball almost identical to his first-time pass against Wolves. Had David Raya not been so alert coming off his line, it may have created a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Similarly, against Everton in early October, Yeremy Pino fed Ismaïla Sarr with a sumptuous pass, only for the Senegalese attacker to lack composure. The attack eventually ended with a disappointing Mateta finish past the post—another example of Pino’s quality not being rewarded with an assist.

These examples provide clear evidence of Pino adapting to the key stylistic nuances of his new team. More specifically, they demonstrate he has already developed a good understanding of what Crystal Palace’s chief goal threat—Jean-Philippe Mateta—intends to do.

Mateta has made 120 off-ball runs in behind opposition defenses this season, a figure only Ollie Watkins (160) and Igor Thiago (128) can better. Yeremy Pino clearly appreciates Mateta’s movement patterns and consistently looks to exploit them with penetrating passes.

The statistics support this observation. Pino’s nine through balls (defined as intending to put a player through on goal for a potential scoring opportunity by splitting the last line of defense) in the Premier League this term is bettered by just Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Guimarães (10 each). However, both Mbeumo and Guimarães have spent considerably more time on the pitch—1,046 minutes and 985 minutes respectively—compared to Pino’s 616 minutes.

This productivity rate is extraordinary. Pino is creating high-quality chances with remarkable frequency relative to his playing time.

The Expected Assists Puzzle: Unlucky or Underperforming?

It could be suggested that Pino’s propensity for through balls is simply what the left-wing role requires at Crystal Palace. However, it’s worth noting that the most through balls any Palace player produced last season was 13 (Sarr), while Eze managed 10.

Whether this represents a deliberate tactical evolution Oliver Glasner has implemented this season or simply reflects Yeremy Pino’s natural football intelligence remains unclear. What is certain is that this facet of his game demonstrates the Spaniard’s general creative quality.

Although Pino is yet to actually claim an assist in the Premier League this term, he can probably count himself unlucky. The open-play chances he has created have been worth 1.41 expected assists (xA)—meaning the quality of chances he’s created should have yielded approximately 1.4 assists based on where the shots were taken from and the likelihood of scoring.

Context makes this statistic even more impressive. The only players with more xA who are yet to record an assist in open play this term are Bukayo Saka (2.02) and Enzo Fernández (1.44)—two of the Premier League’s elite creative players. Eze, as another comparison, has two open-play assists from 1.32 xA, so Pino’s lack of assists needn’t be viewed as a failing on his part.

The expected assists metric suggests Yeremy Pino is creating high-quality chances with regularity. The fact these haven’t converted into assists yet says more about finishing quality and fortune than about Pino’s creative ability.

Sequence Involvements: Building Attacks

Beyond through balls and expected assists, Pino’s general contributions to Crystal Palace in possession have been positive. He may still be slightly behind carrying the same wide-ranging on-ball influence as Eze, who was involved in 5.3 open-play attacking sequences per 90 minutes last term, but Pino is averaging 4.4 sequence involvements per 90—more than any of his Crystal Palace teammates in 2025-26.

An attacking sequence involvement means a player touched the ball during a sequence of passes that led to a shot, demonstrating how frequently they’re involved in dangerous attacking moves. Pino’s team-leading number in this category indicates he’s already become Crystal Palace’s most important player in attacking build-up.

The purpose of examining these statistics isn’t to directly compare Pino and Eze’s outputs or suggest Glasner is better off with one over the other. After all, they’re hardly identical players, and their exploits at Crystal Palace exist in very different contexts—Eze had years to develop chemistry with teammates and adapt to the Premier League, while Pino is still in his first months.

However, it’s impossible to ignore the variation in what they offer, and that difference is most stark when considering off-ball work.

The Work Rate Factor: Pressing Machine

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Yeremy Pino’s adaptation to Premier League football has been his extraordinary defensive work rate. This isn’t an area where creative players typically excel, yet Pino has emerged as one of the league’s most active pressers.

On a per-90 basis in the Premier League this season, Pino is averaging 93.1 pressures—approaching the player in possession with the aim of winning the ball or limiting passing options. This ranks him ninth among players who have played at least 270 minutes.

Among the same group, he climbs to seventh for high-intensity pressures (applying pressure within two meters of the opponent) with 61.5 per 90 minutes. For context, Eze averaged 59.4 pressures and 41.8 high-intensity pressures per 90 in the league last term.

These numbers are remarkable for a creative player. Typically, attackers conserve energy for offensive contributions, allowing defensive midfielders and forwards to handle the pressing duties. Yeremy Pino, however, throws himself into defensive work with the same commitment he shows in attack.

This work rate won’t generally attract headlines or mainstream attention, but it must be recognized as a crucial component of what makes Pino valuable to Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner’s system demands that every player contributes defensively, and Pino has embraced this responsibility wholeheartedly.

Glasner’s Praise: Recognition of Effort

Oliver Glasner acknowledged Pino’s exceptional effort after the victory over Wolves, offering praise that highlighted both the positives and potential challenges of the Spaniard’s approach.

“[Pino] is getting better and better,” Glasner said. “What I really love is he always gives 100% effort and commitment to the team. He works so hard, which is why he is usually exhausted after 60, 70, 75 minutes. But that’s who we are. The next one comes on and does the same job.”

Glasner’s comments reveal an important detail: Pino’s tremendous work rate comes at a cost. His energy levels typically drop significantly after an hour of play, necessitating substitution before the match concludes. This potentially highlights an issue of efficiency—could Pino be working too hard in some phases, leaving himself without the stamina needed for the final stages?

To be fair to Pino, he recognized this challenge toward the end of his time at Villarreal, reminding himself in a press conference that he should “conserve energy for attacking.” The awareness is there; now it’s about implementing better energy management without sacrificing the work rate that makes him so effective.

The Efficiency Question: Room for Growth

If working too hard represents the most concerning aspect of Pino’s adaptation to Premier League life, there are far worse problems for Crystal Palace to inherit. This is an issue that can be addressed through coaching, experience, and improved fitness levels.

As Pino becomes more familiar with the Premier League’s demands, he’ll likely learn when he can afford to conserve energy and when maximum effort is required. The coaching staff can help him identify moments where intelligent positioning can achieve the same defensive aims as frantic pressing, reducing the energy expenditure without compromising effectiveness.

Additionally, Pino’s fitness levels should improve as he adapts to the unique physical demands of English football. The Premier League is notoriously more intense than La Liga, with higher tempo, more transitions, and less time on the ball. As his body adjusts to these demands, his endurance should increase, allowing him to maintain his work rate deeper into matches.

Either through fine-tuning or reaching new fitness levels, Yeremy Pino’s blend of craft and graft will make him a devastatingly effective player for this Crystal Palace side. The foundation is already in place—now it’s about optimization.

The Eze Comparison: Different Players, Different Contexts

Comparing Yeremy Pino to Eberechi Eze is inevitable but ultimately unfair to both players. They’re different types of footballers who excel in different ways, and their circumstances at Crystal Palace couldn’t be more different.

Eze had the luxury of time to develop at Selhurst Park. He grew into his role gradually, building chemistry with teammates, learning the Premier League’s rhythms, and becoming the player the entire system was built around. By the time he left for Arsenal, he was the finished article—a player comfortable in his surroundings and confident in his abilities.

Pino, conversely, arrived with enormous pressure and immediate expectations. He had to adapt to a new league, a new country, a new language, and a new tactical system simultaneously, all while being compared to a departed star who had just scored a hat-trick in the North London derby.

The contexts couldn’t be more different, yet Pino has handled the pressure admirably. He’s shown tactical intelligence in understanding Crystal Palace’s transition-based system, creative quality in his passing, and work rate that exceeds what was expected.

What Pino Brings That Eze Didn’t

While Eze possessed superior dribbling ability and perhaps more individual brilliance, Yeremy Pino offers qualities that the Englishman didn’t provide. His defensive work rate is substantially higher, his through ball frequency is greater, and his willingness to sacrifice for the team’s collective success is evident in every match.

Pino’s versatility across multiple attacking positions also gives Glasner tactical flexibility that wasn’t available with Eze. While Eze was most effective in one specific role, Pino can operate from either wing or centrally, adapting to different opponents and situations.

This isn’t to argue Pino is better than Eze—such claims would be premature and probably inaccurate. Rather, it’s to recognize that Pino brings a different profile that may ultimately prove equally valuable to Crystal Palace, just in different ways.

A Promising Start

After 10 Premier League appearances, the verdict on Yeremy Pino’s Crystal Palace career is clear: this is a player who is making the daunting task of replacing Eberechi Eze considerably less overwhelming than many feared.

His first goal was a moment of genuine quality that showcased his technical ability. His nine through balls demonstrate tactical understanding and creative vision. His 1.41 expected assists suggest he’s creating high-quality chances that deserve better finishing. His team-leading 4.4 sequence involvements per 90 minutes prove he’s already central to Crystal Palace’s attacking play.

Most impressively, his 93.1 pressures per 90 minutes show a player fully committed to Oliver Glasner’s system, willing to do the dirty work that many creative players avoid. This blend of craft and graft, skill and effort, quality and quantity makes Pino a unique player.

There’s room for improvement, certainly. The efficiency of his pressing could be refined, his fitness could improve to allow him to play more than 70 minutes, and his goal contributions should increase as he becomes more familiar with his teammates and the league.

But the foundation is strong. Yeremy Pino has all the tools to become a Crystal Palace star in his own right—not as an Eze replacement, but as his own distinct talent who brings different qualities that are equally valuable.

The Future Looks Bright

Replacing Eberechi Eze was never going to be easy for Crystal Palace. The England international’s move to Arsenal left a void that seemed impossible to fill—a creative fulcrum whose individual quality could change matches, whose influence permeated every attacking phase.

Yeremy Pino hasn’t made Crystal Palace forget about Eze, and he shouldn’t have to. What he has done is establish himself as a player of genuine quality who brings his own unique attributes to Selhurst Park. His craft in possession, his graft without the ball, and his tactical intelligence have made the task of moving forward without Eze considerably less daunting than it might have been.

As Pino continues adapting to the Premier League, improving his fitness, and developing chemistry with teammates, his impact will only grow. The first goal against Wolves may be remembered as the moment he truly arrived, but it’s unlikely to be his most memorable contribution in a Crystal Palace shirt.

Oliver Glasner has found in Yeremy Pino a player who embodies what modern attacking players should be—technically gifted but willing to work defensively, creative but team-oriented, individually talented but collectively minded. That combination, refined and optimized over time, promises exciting things for Crystal Palace’s future.

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