Arsenal handed clear pathway to dream Mikel Arteta striker transfer after William Saliba claim
Arsenal defender William Saliba has been praised significantly by Brighton striker Evan Ferguson amid links to the Gunners. Ever since emerging onto the scene at Amex Stadium back in 2022, Ferguson has been linked with a transfer to several other Premier League clubs.
An ankle injury has seen Ferguson play minimal football over the past six months with his return only arriving in early October. As such, the Ireland international has featured for just 85 minutes this season with less than a third of his game time arriving in Premier League action.
Despite that, talk of eventual moves to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea continues to take place though it may not occur in the immediate future. The 19-year-old signed a six-and-a-half year contract extension last year which will could see him remain at the club until 2029.
Former Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi was a huge fan of Ferguson, but With Fabian Hurzeler now at the helm, it remains to be seen if he'll be offered the same opportunities. With that being said, the teenager appears confident he can impress Hurzeler and get back to his best levels of form.
"He [Hurzeler] has not really set challenges,” Ferguson said when asked about his dealings with Hurzeler. "He's just been talking to me about what I can do, what needs to be done in his eyes to get playing, and what he wants in his system. He's not really set any goals; he just wants me to come back and play as I can.
"It's hard to say if I can fit into it [Hürzeler’s system] as I haven't played too much yet, but from the outside, it probably looks like it might suit me better [than Roberto De Zerbi’s system] on the front foot." However, if things weren't to work out, a switch to Emirates Stadium is feasible with Ferguson already a big fan of one Arsenal star.
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When asked by ESPN for the three toughest opponents he has faced thus far, he said: "I'd probably go [Eduardo] Camavinga, [William] Saliba and [Sven] Botman." Ferguson added that Camavinga was who gave him the toughest test of the three, though it is certainly interesting he names Saliba given what he did against the Frenchman.
In Arsenal's 4-2 win at Brighton back in December 2022, Ferguson scored his first league goal off the bench with the chance arriving after he outmuscled Saliba before sliding an effort under Aaron Ramsdale. If that is what he can do against one of the tougher opponents he has faced, Arsenal supporters may already be imagining what he is capable of against others in a red shirt.
Mikel Arteta and Edu are expected to try and sign a striker next summer and though Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko are the big names being linked, Ferguson could be a great alternative.