With a growing need to bolster their defensive options ahead of the new season, Arsenal wasted little time securing a deal for long-term target Ezri Konsa. But who is the England international, what will he bring to the side and why is he costing £51 million?
Phil Costa reports
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We’re often guilty of missing what’s right in front of us, but William Saliba is easily one of the best play-making centre backs in world football and his evolution as the key man during build up kick-started our rise under Mikel Arteta. When he’s not there – we feel that absence – which is why signing Konsa makes perfect sense.
Our eyes might be drawn to Pau Torres as the ball-playing Villa defender, whose languid, elegant style fits the profile more naturally; but Konsa is actually the outstanding centre back in possession. The 28-year-old had the highest pass accuracy in the Premier League last season (95.5%) and topped that same metric during the World Cup (97%), highlighting his ability to welcome the ball in deeper areas and dictate play. He also led the top flight for pass completion under high intensity pressure (92.5%) which shows that you can give him the ball whenever, wherever and he tends to find a way out.
There’s real variety in his distribution because he can do the simple stuff, the passes out to his right back and little exchanges with his number six, but then you dig into the footage and there’s a serious player here. He loves to stride out of defence and carry the ball, there are delicate clipped balls in behind the opposition left back and even raking diagonals to switch play or find strikers running through on goal.
Konsa has some nice variety in possession/build up ✍️
— Phil Costa (@philcosta.bsky.social) 2026-08-22T06:39:32.660Z
I found – and was left really impressed by – one specific clip against Manchester City where he was played into trouble by his goalkeeper, but despite the suffocating press which forced him and three teammates towards the corner flag, he played a series of one-touch passes and later Cruyff-turned away from danger to keep possession and kickstart a Villa transition. Nothing came of the move but the way he navigated that stressful situation with a cigar in hand showed real footballing ability.
Cristhian Mosquera made a big impression last season but if we’re looking for a seamless, more analogous Saliba replacement, Konsa feels more suited to that role than the Spaniard whose ball-playing is slightly more safe.
But we’re signing a defender – so can he defend? Well it wouldn’t be a Mikel Arteta signing without some elite duel winning numbers. Neither the tallest nor broadest, Konsa had the best ground duel success rate of any Premier League player last season (73%), ahead of nearest challengers Virgil van Dijk (70%) and Gabriel (69.9%) which is healthy company. In fact, since his Premier League debut, only Van Dijk (73%) has averaged a higher duel success rate in the competition than the defender (68%) which shows he likes a challenge and can handle himself against elite attackers.
Part of his appeal is that he feels comfortable at right back, and you can see in the areas he occupies there’s plenty of channel defending involved. Villa play a very high line under Unai Emery anyway, which means Konsa is left alone – and in space – against some of the quickest forwards but you can see his athletic potential in those situations, where he uses his body (and impressive recovery speed) to cut off angles. He’s someone who can be the aggressor, the “in your shorts” guy, but also more patient depending on the situation.
The 28-year-old isn’t a major aerial force but reads the game well and finds himself in good positions to clear crosses, although I would like more distance on those clearances sometimes. They feel a bit “youth football” in that you’re heading the ball but it’s more out of obligation – getting your head in the way as opposed to attacking the deliveries – although he did crop up with three set piece goals last season.
More importantly – and there’s no way this can come back to bite me – availability is a key theme here. Since joining Villa in 2019, only seven players have made more Premier League appearances than Konsa (231) and his longest injury absence was missing four games in 2024 due to a knee problem. According to Opta, his lowest matchday squad availability (83%) came in the 2021/22 season and that was primarily due to suspension after receiving two red cards, as opposed to anything injury-related. The giant “availability is your best ability” lettering at London Colney Sobha Realty certainly applies to him.
Without copying and pasting the exact same paragraph from my Bruno Guimaraes profile, I understand the reservations over price. Konsa is expensive for a 28-year-old defender but if you’re looking for parallels in the market, Jan Paul van Hecke joined Tottenham for £52m and Chelsea signed Maxence Lacroix for £51m. Just like Noni Madueke, Mohammed Kudus, Anthony Elanga and Jamie Gittens went for similar money last season, those fees have set the centre back market this summer. I think – rightly or wrongly – our brains have a hard time adjusting to inflation and we have no idea what constitutes value anymore, especially regarding deals between Premier League clubs.
But this is a necessary and important signing. I don’t buy the narrative that Arsenal are adding another central defender to their collection of seven central defenders already at the club, because we don’t use Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapie as centre backs. Could the club have signed a more natural right back and relied on Mosquera, with White moving inside? Probably, but if we’re serious about competing on all four fronts again – placing that burden on a young player – and relying on another with a questionable injury record (plus Timber) doesn’t seem optimal when your window for winning has never been greater. Konsa’s homegrown status was also a key factor for a squad at its limits in terms of the non-homegrown contingent.
Others have made the comparison, but this deal (and the Bruno one before it) feels very Sir Alex Ferguson. You’re at the top, you want to stay at the top, so go and cherry-pick the best players in the league while weakening those around you. It’s clear that Arsenal are viewing recruitment differently, with Konsa the 11th player aged 26 or over to join in the last three seasons. In the three seasons prior, Arsenal signed only four players aged 26 or over.
Konsa is experienced, available, versatile and ready to slot into this back four right away. His numbers are great, he knows the group and was obviously a long-term target for the club and our new sporting director Bukayo Saka. He boosts our homegrown quota and feels like the right age to give us his peak years, without blocking any potential pathways for Marli Salmon (who is still a toddler in defensive terms) or Mosquera who is just as capable at left centre back. The only mark on his rap sheet is that he grew up a Sp*rs fan, although his Arsenal conversion therapy shouldn’t take long to kick in.
Squad building isn’t only about improving what you have. It’s also about protecting what you already have so that when you’re in the trenches come May, you’re best placed to get over the line. Arteta knows from experience that when Saliba and his back are concerned, cover is crucial if you want to avoid some harsh Konsa-quences.
