Eze hails £130m Arsenal debutants Guimaraes and Konsa as 'warriors' after Villa win

Eberechi Eze has backed Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa to strengthen Arsenal’s title defence after the two summer signings made their debuts in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa on Monday night, maintaining the champions’ perfect start to the Premier League season.

Guimaraes and Konsa, signed for a combined £130m, were both handed their first appearances for the club at Villa Park and helped Arsenal keep a third consecutive clean sheet following victories in their opening two league games and the Community Shield against Manchester City.

“They’re both special players,” Eze said. “They have so much experience in the league and so much to bring to our team. You can see how strong they are. They’re warriors. They’re high quality on the ball as well. So it’s great additions and people that will help us for sure.”

The win at Villa — who finished fourth last season, won the Europa League, and have returned to the Champions League despite a summer of change under Unai Emery — carries particular weight as a measure of Arsenal’s credentials.

Eze, who came on at half-time for Christos Tzolis, played a direct role in Bukayo Saka’s winning goal and formed an effective partnership with Riccardo Calafiori down the left flank. It was a sharp contrast to his experience at Villa Park last season, when he was substituted at the interval during a defeat and drew criticism for failing to track back on an opening goal.

“We want to continue keeping clean sheets,” Eze said. “That gives us a good platform to go off. It gives us a lot of freedom as attackers so that’s good.”

The England midfielder also addressed his own versatility, suggesting he is comfortable operating from the left — a position Arsenal targeted for reinforcement during the summer window.

“You always want to help the team. You always want to put in a good performance. Ultimately you want to affect the game and help the team win. That’s the main thing whether you start or come on,” he said.

Arsenal’s next test comes on Sunday in a London derby against Chelsea, who have also made a 100 per cent start to the campaign under new head coach Xabi Alonso.