Rio Ferdinand staunchly defended Arsenal's summer signing, Ezri Konsa, following his commanding display in the 1-0 victory against Nottingham Forest. Konsa, a £55 million acquisition from Aston Villa, was brought in by Mikel Arteta to provide cover after William Saliba sustained a serious back injury during France's World Cup semi-final defeat against Spain. Initially, Konsa was behind Cristhian Mosquera in the pecking order, but he seized his chance after Mosquera's injury in September. His performance against Forest included a superb last-minute tackle on Liam Delap, preventing a damaging equaliser. Ferdinand lauded Konsa as a "matchwinner" and suggested he deserved a wage increase. Arteta also praised Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes for their defensive resoluteness, highlighting their ability to handle numerous aerial challenges and subsequent threats from players like Wood and Hudson-Odoi in the demanding Premier League.