England Euros star Eberechi Eze, wanted by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur for £65 million transfer from Crystal Palace, has best pal at Elgin City to talk over next Premier League move
The English Premier League’s most sought-after footballer might just call-up his best pal at Elgin City to speak about a possible £65 million transfer.
England international Eberechi Eze looks set for a big money move this summer, with Tottenham and Manchester City top of the list of clubs said to be interested in signing the 26-year-old.
One man who speaks to Eze almost on a daily basis is Elgin striker Dajon Golding, who grew up with the superstar is south-east London and isn’t surprised by his rise to fame.
The pair are joined by a third close footballing buddy, ex-Middlesbrough full-back Marc Bola who currently plays in the Turkish Super League with Samsunspor.
Golding sees himself as being completely at the opposite end of the spectrum from the dedicated Eze, with Bola somewhere in between. But he’s proud that all three have achieved a collective dream of making a name for themselves in their sport.
“There’s three of us, and we all had a dream to play professional football,” Golding said. “Three best mates, and we’ve said that we’ve ended up on three different levels of the spectrum.”
On Eze, who was part of England’s European Championships squad and helped set up the winning goal against Slovakia en route to the final, Golding said: “He’s my brother, basically.
“We grew up together playing football in south east London, we went to the same school and we’ve been best friends ever since. He has looked after me and it is always great to see your best friend playing at the highest level.
“It was mainly when we were younger, we played against each other and I knew right away he would make it.
“He was always that one player that stood out. It was just a joke really how good he was.
“There were three of us in secondary school and all three of us have had different journeys.
“One plays at the top level, one played at Middlesbrough and now plays in the Turkish Super League which is still a massive achievement.
“Then there’s myself, playing professional football in Scotland which for me is still a great achievement. I just want to take it all in and go as far as I possibly can with my career.”
There’s not a day goes by when Golding has a chat with his Crystal Palace friend, subject to huge speculation on his next transfer move with several top clubs believed to be willing to trigger a release clause rumoured to be £65 million.
“We basically speak every day,” Golding said. “We try a Facetime every day. We grew up with each other and we went to each other houses.”
It’s fair to say that a top Premier League star and another featuring at the top level in Turkey have learned something about Elgin City.
“They definitely know all about Elgin. They know the name 100 per cent because of me and I guess they are always looking to see if my name is on the scoresheet.”
Golding said Eze was the disciplined one of their footballing trio, deeply religious and dedicated to bettering himself in football.
“Maybe I was the wild one, but since Covid I’ve looked to sharpen up my skills and make the very best of my career.”
Golding revealed on the Elgin City podcast ‘Borough Briggs Beat’ how his time at previous club Cove Rangers - who loaned him to Elgin for the second half of last season - led to him considering quitting football.
But Elgin’s desire to make the loan move permanent won him over, and he penned a one-year deal in June.
Golding also considers two fellow Londoners, ex-Aberdeen striker Jay Emmanuel Thomas - most recently at Morton - and former Livingston man Joel Nouble as pals who persuaded him to try a career north of the border.
Arbroath and Queen of the South almost signed him before he penned a deal with Cove, paving the way for his switch to Elgin City.
Now he wants to be a big success in the SPFL. “I just want to contribute to the team.
“I feel I do that in other ways but the main one that everyone looks at is who scores the goals.
“It’s a team game and I want to contribute to that, but I know there’s always more to give especially when Allan (Elgin manager Hale) sets such high standards for us. You want to be playing your optimum game, and I’m sure the goals will come.”