Romano CONFIRMS Arsenal opportunity: Arteta to sign his new striker

Tom Weber

Updated: 27 Jan 2025 14:21 GMT
3 min read

Arsenal target Evan Ferguson will leave Brighton before the window shuts, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Article continues under the video

The Gunners are scrambling to add a centre-forward to Mikel Arteta's squad following the season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus. After failing to add a No.9 in the summer, Arsenal are determined to rectify the issue this month.

Arteta and company know that it will be nigh on impossible to get top targets Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak mid-season, so Arsenal are looking for opportunities in the market.

“If we can get the right player, that’s why we are actively looking at it. We are working on it, yes," the Spanish tactician confirmed last week. A host of strikers have been linked with a move to the Emirates lately, including Matheus Cunha, Igor Jesus and Evan Ferguson.

Now, it appears as though the latter, in particular, could be just the option Arteta has been looking for.

Ferguson to leave Brighton

There has been a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding the future of Ferguson. His game time has been extremely limited since his breakout 2022/23 season due to injury problems.

He suffered a fresh setback this month, which cast doubt on a January transfer, while Brighton hadn't made a firm decision on what to do with him either.

The idea of a potential exit was already floated ahead of the winter window, but coach Fabian Hurzeler emphatically ruled out a departure when pressed on Ferguson's future.

Now, however, Fabrizio Romano reports that Ferguson is expected to leave Brighton after all. The transfer insider speaks of a loan move, with clubs in the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga interested. French media is heavily linking Marseille with the Republic of Ireland forward.

Previously, it was reported that Brighton would only sanction a temporary move if it included a purchase obligation. Journalist Ben Jacobs reported a few weeks ago that a move for Ferguson would not preclude Arsenal from signing one of their top striker targets in the summer.

Romano did not mention Arsenal specifically, but given their historic interest - they have been keen on him since his brilliant breakout campaign - it would not be a surprise to see them pounce. This seems like the kind of 'opportunity' that Arteta has been talking about all window.

However, one major hurdle would have to be overcome first. If it were to be an initial loan, Arsenal would have to free up a necessary spot, with their two loan slots currently filled by Neto and Raheem Sterling.