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William Saliba## Arsenal could be looking in the wrong place as they aim to find a suitable cover for the injured William Saliba this summer
14:31, 22 Jul 2026
Arsenal are keen to sign a defender this summer, with William Saliba currently feared to be out for a while with a back injury. Despite reports in France suggesting the centre-half was ‘likely’ to require surgery, that may not be the case, and football.london understands the club had wanted to conduct assessments of their own before taking any big decisions on their player.
Prior to the injury, Arsenal were already keen on adding a versatile full-back to the group. However, the situation with Saliba has sparked some change with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa appreciated by those within the club.
However, as has been the case with many of the Gunners’ targets this window, the valuation they have of Konsa and what Aston Villa value their man are far apart. Mikel Arteta has been keen to add Premier League-proven quality to the side over the years.
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That said, these tend to cost so much more and perhaps looking into the continent could be a more cost-effective approach. Nottingham Forest have made a £30million move for Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande who football.london understands was on the Arsenal radar several seasons ago.
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Ezri Konsa is thought to command a fee north of £50million. The 28-year-old might have the Premier League experience that is usually craved but with the potential of getting a player more than six years his junior, for less money and who has even kept a clean sheet against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the 0-0 second leg quarter final clash in the UEFA Champions League.
While Forest are leading the race, it shows that there are opportunities for Arsenal to do deals at reasonable prices for good players. The Gunners won the Premierr League title last season with the vast majority of their squad costing them £50million or less.
Key figures like William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Leandro Trossard, and, of course, captain Martin Odegaard. With Andrea Berta expanding his team with Maurizio Micheli and the incoming Javier Alonso, there is plenty of resources to find the top talent and the best deals.
Tom Canton
Tom Canton
Tom Canton joined football.london as the Arsenal Fan Brand Writer and Presenter before becoming a permanent Arsenal Reporter in 2025. Tom produces plenty of analytical content in addition to breaking stories and is a regular attendee at matches and press conferences. Can also be found on YouTube @TheGoonerTalkTV
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