It was just funny that it had never occurred to me before, and a cursory search showed nothing. It's obvious RJ meant something by this parallel. What two things are discovered under the EotW? The Horn- which Mat blows and the banner, and who leads the Dragon's army at Tarmon Gaidon? Mat. Though it was Perrin who raised the banner in TGH. What leads Aginor and Balthamel to the Eye? Mat- 'An old thing, an ancient thing'
Honestly- I'm still puzzled by the connection and I can generally figure out some of the more esoteric things RJ intended- I was way ahead of the curve on knowing Zen Rand can't be shielded or likely even turned through channeling. This one though... I think it might be buried in that 'mystery of Mat' pool which we'll never actually figure out without the Epilogue trilogy.
After a few days of thinking the relevant reference I figure is that Sanderson himself discovered something in the notes about this that he couldn't really get at- or that he didn't want to take on, or that he himself wondered about, but found nothing. What happens to the Dragon banner? In aMoL Mat -Mat again here- drops it while riding to Shayol Ghul with Olver. This kind of makes me think that perhaps this entire Mat's Eye/EotW was a thing at some point in RJ's ideas that he dropped- like I think he dropped a few ideas after the 1st trilogy.
However, it's still kind of intriguing and could have some some intriguing speculation. Since the wheel is eternal- do the Finn's somehow ALWAYS have possession of Mat's eye and was that somehow used to help create the EotW? I mean- it's a pretty esoteric point. Yet there's no way it began as entirely coincidental point.
So if anyone else has any ideas or thoughts the ways they could perhaps -even tenuously- have connection please throw it out there
Sidenote: Another interesting discussion I haven't really is seen is the symbology of Mat losing an eye vs Rand losing his hand
