football.london heard the insight from Aston Villa correspondent John Townley on their move for Ezri Konsa
Ezri Konsa has been lauded after his £55m move to Arsenal
Ezri Konsa has been lauded after his £55m move to Arsenal(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal completed the £55million signing of Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa to fulfil the increasing need for the Gunners in defence. The injury to William Saliba forced the club to act, especially with the combined concerns over the persistent fitness worries of Jurrien Timber, who remains sidelines at present, and Ben White.
Mikel Arteta spoke to the media following the win over Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium, before which Konsa was unveiled, and explained the reasoning further. Asked whether the signing was part of an ‘ominous warning’ sent to the rest of the league, the Spaniard was quick to deny this and instead detail that he is a solution to the lightness they have in this area of the squad.
“No, because when I look at their squads, they have such incredible squads as well. Some of them are much bigger than ours still. We just look to improve and to do what we believe is right for us.
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“And understand the players that we already have, the players that can give us an edge and improve us. Ezri is certainly a player because we are really, really light in the defensive line. And that was a massive risk to take.”
Konsa has arrived with a top reputation from club and country and was the club’s priority defender to replace Saliba. However, there are still some question marks over the level of investment in a 28-year-old who has some areas needing work still, such as aerially.
To get the best insight possible, we spoke to our colleague John Townley, Aston Villa reporter at BirminghamLIVE. Asked about the player’s strengths, it was obvious that many in the Arsenal group will be pleased to see Konsa arrive.
“Konsa’s ability to defend 1v1 is exceptional,” Townley said. “Bukayo Saka would often take him aside during England training sessions and try to beat him, knowing he’s one of the best in the Premier League in that regard.
“His durability is also a key strength – it’s hard to remember Konsa missing more than a few games through an injury niggle.”
Statistically, aerially, Konsa does not compare as well to plenty of his Premier League counterparts. But Townley explains that finding the drawbacks with the defender is a challenge in itself.
“While it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific weakness in Konsa’s game, it’s fair to say that his progressive numbers have been limited at Villa,” he said. “Even then, you can find a positive in the fact that he is more than capable of playing under pressure, but line-breaking passes aren’t really his thing – at least, that was left to Pau Torres at Villa.
One of the reasons Mikel Arteta was so keen on Konsa was much to do with the player’s versatility. Detailed here by Townley, Konsa is set to play a variety of roles in the Arsenal team.
“Konsa prefers to play at centre-back, but he can operate proficiently at right-back,” he said. “In the 2023/24 season, Unai Emery used Konsa at right-back quite often, at least during defensive phases, before moving him into a back three when Villa were in possession.”
Off the pitch, Konsa is very well-liked by his teammates, and already we have seen the likes of Eberechi Eze delighted to welcome him to North London. Townley further explains what the former Charlton man will bring to the side.
“Konsa was a very well-respected member of Villa’s dressing room,” he said. “Although not a vocal leader, his leadership skills grew under Emery, particularly when Tyrone Mings suffered an ACL injury at the start of the 2023/24 campaign. Konsa was forced to step up in his absence, and that season Villa finished fourth.”