Mikel Arteta Arsenal Chelsea transfer relationship
Mikel Arteta Arsenal Chelsea transfer relationship
Rio Ferdinand has called Ezri Konsa a “top, top player” and admitted he wishes Manchester United had signed him, just as William Saliba’s return hands Mikel Arteta a selection call at the back.
Ezri Konsa has not missed a beat since arriving from Aston Villa in the summer. With Saliba sidelined by the back injury he picked up at the World Cup, the England defender went straight in alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, and the pair kept another clean sheet in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Anfield.
Ferdinand has been watching closely. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former United defender said he had told his own son to study the way Konsa plays, and that the new man should keep his place in the Arsenal side even with Saliba back.
What did Rio Ferdinand say about Ezri Konsa?
Ferdinand started with Saliba, then moved quickly on to the man who has filled his boots.
He said: “I think William Saliba is one of those guys that you have to find room for in the team. He’s that good, he’s top. I said to my son yesterday, ‘watch Ezri Konsa’, because everything he does is efficient. That’s a great problem for Mikel Arteta to have.”
He went on: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Konsa goes back to right-back once Saliba comes back. I wouldn’t be surprised because Konsa is top. He’s a top, top player and another one I thought Manchester United should have got because he’s a top player.”
And he finished with a line every Gooner will enjoy: “He’s giving Mikel Arteta some big decisions to make and big headaches because he’s slipped in seamlessly and put in some big performances. What a signing he’s been for Arsenal.”
Is Konsa heading to right-back now Saliba is fit?
The timing of Ferdinand’s comments is what makes them interesting. Saliba trained with the squad on Tuesday and Arteta confirmed in Prague that the Frenchman is fit and available, as we covered in our piece on Saliba being ready for Slavia Prague. Whether he plays, the manager said, is a matter of what the team needs.
Arteta was also asked how he fits Saliba, Konsa and Gabriel into one back line. He would not call it a problem, describing it as a luxury Arsenal have not had so far this season, and he pointed out that Konsa can play at full-back as well as on either side of a centre-back pairing. That is exactly the route Ferdinand has in mind.
Konsa’s form has made the debate a real one. We broke down his afternoon on Merseyside, where he won eight of nine duels, in our look at Konsa, Saliba and Arsenal’s centre-back choice. Arsenal play Slavia Prague at 8pm UK time tonight, then host Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, so the first clues on how Arteta lines up all three could come quickly.
Why Man United fans will wince
Ferdinand’s frustration is about his old club as much as Arsenal. Manchester United spent their £155m summer budget on midfielders, and their defence has come in for heavy criticism since.
Michael Carrick did not get the left-back he wanted to cover for Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez have been at the club for years, and Leny Yoro, signed back in 2024, is the last centre-back United bought. The plan had been to fix the defence next summer, but their struggles at the back could force them into the market sooner.
It is a theme running through this week. Thierry Henry has already told United they should study how Arsenal stuck with Arteta, and now Ferdinand is holding up an Arsenal signing as the kind of deal his old club let slip.
Konsa has earned the right to stay in the team
Our view is that Ferdinand is on to something. Saliba at his best is one of the finest centre-backs in Europe and has to play when he is right, but Konsa has been too good to drop to the bench. Moving him across to right-back keeps the Gabriel and Saliba partnership that won the title and keeps one of Arsenal’s most reliable defenders on the pitch.
It will not happen overnight. Arteta will want to bring Saliba back carefully, and Konsa and Gabriel have earned the trust to keep going in the meantime. But over a long season in the Premier League and the Champions League, having three centre-backs of this level is the kind of headache Arteta will happily live with, and the one United, as Ferdinand clearly knows, would love to have.
Mikel Arteta Arsenal Chelsea transfer relationship
Mikel Arteta Arsenal Chelsea transfer relationship