Villa blinked first
Around 70 M€. That is the number being whispered as Arsenal and Aston Villa edge towards an agreement for Ezri Konsa, according to The Athletic. Nothing has been made official yet.
Konsa, 28 caps for England, made his position clear months ago by refusing fresh terms that would have tied him to Villa until 2028. A player who will not sign is a player you eventually sell. Villa gave in.
For weeks the Gunners had been weighing two names. Jarell Quansah topped the list before he swapped Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen. That left Konsa, the anchor of Villa’s back line last season, and he is expected to put pen to paper within days.
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A back injury rewrote Arsenal’s window
None of this happens if William Saliba’s back holds up. The Frenchman limped through the closing weeks of last season and the club has since put a timeline on his absence measured in months, not weeks.
Four competitions, one missing starter who plays every minute. Arsenal did not have the depth to absorb that, so the replacement had to arrive at the same level rather than a rung below. Konsa ticks the boxes: an England international who has survived a decade of Premier League Saturdays, comfortable centrally or shifted out to the right.
Mikel Arteta has repeated the same line in every press conference since pre-season started. Better than last year.
The bill is past 190 M€
Konsa would not be the first heavy cheque signed in north London this summer. Bruno Guimaraes went through at 87 M€, Christos Tzolis at 40 M€. Bolt on the defender’s fee and Arsenal have committed more than 190 M€.
The spending has a source. Arsenal took Manchester City apart 3-0 in the Community Shield last Sunday, yet the club still carries the wound of a Champions League final lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, 1-1 after extra time and 4-3 from the spot.
They are buying their way back to that final. Whether the defence holds without its leader is another matter entirely.
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