Konsa completes £51m Arsenal move after Saka praised him as England's best one-on-one defender

Ezri Konsa has completed a £51million move from Aston Villa to Arsenal, joining a defensive unit that already includes William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie — and reuniting him with a teammate who has long championed his quality.

Bukayo Saka was vocal in his praise for Konsa back in 2024, crediting the centre-back as one of the toughest defenders he has faced. The admiration stems from an England training session in which the two went head-to-head in a one-on-one drill, with Konsa more than holding his own against the Arsenal winger.

“I think it was a couple of years ago with England, we did some one-on-one sessions, me against him, and yeah, I gave him a good test,” Konsa recalled. “I take a lot of pride in defending, I love defending so to hear that praise from him is nice.”

Arsenal moved for Konsa partly to cover the absence of the injured Saliba, though his versatility across the backline makes him a long-term asset rather than a short-term fix. The Gunners’ defensive record last season was among the best in Europe — 19 Premier League clean sheets as the club ended their wait for title glory — and Konsa is eager to add to that foundation.

“The chemistry they have, they all want to defend for each other, the love they have for defending, they love keeping the ball out of the net which is what you have to do as a defender,” Konsa told the club’s website. “But I just love the way they are together. What they’ve built over the past few years has been special.”

Konsa’s arrival follows those of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis at the Emirates this summer. Manager Mikel Arteta is also understood to be pursuing at least one further attacking addition before the transfer window closes.