Marli Salmon clearly took Arsenal's interest in Ezri Konsa personally

Marli Salmon was one of Arsenal's best players in their 1-1 draw with Como and he showed his potential amid the club's interest in signing another defender.

It was reported just hours before the Gunners' final pre-season game that they were reigniting their interest in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, a move that could see Salmon's role in the first team change significantly.

While the England international would add plenty of quality and experience to Mikel Arteta's defence, the Hale End star's performance against the Serie A side showed the interest in Konsa has prompted Salmon to show what he can do on the pitch.

Marli Salmon shows potential amid interest in Ezri Konsa

Salmon was named as a surprise starter on the right side of Arsenal's centre pairing, having deputised for Cristhian Mosquera in their side's first three games, but he repaid Arteta's faith with a player of the match performance in the backline.

The 16-year-old was one of the standouts as he contributed in both defence and attack, replicating the usual brilliance of his superior William Saliba.

He was incredibly composed when on the ball and dealt with pressure from the Como attack well, capitalising on the opportunity to dart up the pitch when possible, completing two successful dribbles. His passing was also superb, completing 42 of the 43 attempted with a 98% accuracy rate.

The Hale End star did what was required of him defensively too, making two tackles, one interception and three recoveries while also winning 75% of his ground duels and 60% of aerial duels.

Salmon remained on the pitch for the longest period out of any of his teammates, completing 88 minutes before being replaced by fellow academy defender Josh Ogunnaike for the game's final stages.

While this was just a friendly, the youngster certainly showed Arteta what he can provide the first team, especially in the prolonged absence of Saliba. Putting in a standout display against a side that is competing in this season's Champions League at just 16-years-old isn't something that will go unnoticed.

Arsenal are aware that if they are to move for Konsa, they will have to significantly increase their initial offer of £30million to get closer to or meet Villa's £60m valuation. That would be a huge knock to their budget, especially considering they are still looking to sign another left winger before the window closes.

Salmon is still young and has plenty of development to go in his career, but he has been touted as a possible option to become more involved in the first team with Saliba expected to be unavailable until the Christmas period.

Of course, he won't be starting any high-stakes games, but he can certainly be relied on to come in for cup games and also as a substitute to help ease the workload and pressure on the Gunners' first-choice defensive options.

It was reported earlier in the week that Salmon is expected to stay at the club until at least January, meaning he will gain further experience working with the first team, but a move for a high-profile defender could change that and see him shipped out on loan.

Salmon's performance against Como has certainly given Arteta something to think about. He has shown what he can do, but should the club splash roughly £60m on yet another defender or do they trust what they've already got?

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