‘Evan Ferguson to be West Ham match-winner’ v Arsenal in unorthodox role
West Ham United should start Evan Ferguson against Arsenal this weekend, but not necessarily for his goalscoring prowess.
Graham Potter has been reunited with Ferguson after the Hammers completed his loan signing on 3 February from Brighton & Hove Albion – the club with whom the Irishman earned his senior debut under his manager in 2021.
An all-London clash at the Emirates on Saturday (22 February) arrives with added spice, especially given the Irons won their last visit to Arsenal, despite having been thrashed by Mikel Arteta’s side in the last two meetings at the London Stadium.
Declan Rice’s high-profile move from claret and blue to red and white has also contributed to the rivalry between the supporters.
Ferguson would have plenty to head away v Arsenal
Ferguson made his West Ham debut in front of a home crowd against Brentford last Saturday (15 February), when Potter introduced him for the second half with a 1-0 deficit.
He was introduced alongside James Ward-Prowse, a man reintegrated into the squad by Potter following his underwhelming loan at Nottingham Forest was cut short early.
The potential of the combination of Ward-Prowse and Ferguson from attacking set-pieces speaks for itself, but chances are, the Hammers will have more to defend than create themselves against Arsenal, and particularly the aforementioned Rice.
The former Irons midfielder is a regular corner taker from the left-hand side for Arteta, always looking for a teammate such as Gabriel or William Saliba who have made their way into the box to cause chaos.
Ferguson’s commanding aerial presence, his physical prowess and his stature could be of huge use to Potter against a side who while scoring from fewer set-plays than at the start of the campaign, still possess a massive threat from corners and free-kicks.
West Ham won last time out at the Emirates
Fixtures between Arsenal and West Ham never tend to be boring affairs and always have plenty to dissect.
While the Gunners have scored 11 goals in their last three games against West Ham, all of those have come in the two meetings at the London Stadium as the Irons emerged 2-0 winners from their last Emirates visit.
Tomas Soucek and former Arsenal prodigy Konstantinos Mavropanos cast the crucial blows on the late December night in 2023, before David Raya spared the Gunners’ blushes further by keeping out Said Benrahma’s penalty at the end.
Last season was one in which West Ham actually beat Arsenal twice, with a 3-1 Carabao Cup win at the London Stadium often going under the radar with many neutrals, back in early November 2023.
It will be one heck of a task for the Hammers to snatch a result this time around – even with the attacking players Arteta is missing – but Potter will plan accordingly for a battle towards which he will feel quietly confident.