Arsenal could accelerate their pursuit of Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa following a back injury sustained by William Saliba.
Saliba has been nursing a back problem over the last few months, and he aggravated the problem during France’s World Cup semi-final loss to Spain yesterday.
The 25-year-old was visibly in agony and asked to be substituted during the opening half. This should be a huge concern for the Gunners ahead of the new season.
Saliba will be away for three weeks after France’s World Cup campaign ends, but there are now genuine doubts whether he will be available against Coventry City on August 21.
There were suggestions he may require some sort of procedure for his nagging back issues, and he now looks like a player who may need an extended rest to recover.
Arsenal were already looking into a possible deal for Villa’s Konsa. The untimely setback for Saliba could see the Gunners step up their pursuit in the coming days.
Konsa would provide quality cover for Saliba
The 28-year-old is primarily a central centre-back by trade but can comfortably play as a right-back, as showcased during England’s 2-1 win over Norway last weekend.
Konsa has been a consistent performer in the Premier League too. He had a stellar passing accuracy of 95 percent from the right central defensive role last season.
The former Brentford man also won 67 percent of his overall duels alongside three recoveries and four clearances. In our view, he would be a perfect signing to provide cover.
Arsenal already have Cristhian Mosquera in their first-team squad, but the Spaniard has produced a mixed bag of performances when operating as a centre-back for the Gunners.
The other option is to play Jurrien Timber in central defence with Ben White or Mosquera at right-back, but Arteta could push for an experienced solution with league pedigree.
It has already been claimed that Arteta is ‘driving‘ the club’s interest in Konsa, but the Premier League holders may not get him on the cheap, with Villa valuing him at £60 million.
Villa have just lost Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne to Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, while Amadou Onana could be out for some time after a serious knee injury.
This means they are unlikely to negotiate on the price for Konsa, and Arsenal may have to spend big to bring the England international to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Stats from Sofascore