Konsa injury scare deepens Arsenal's defensive crisis ahead of Leeds clash

Ezri Konsa has returned to Arsenal for treatment after picking up a quad injury during England’s international camp, leaving his fitness in doubt ahead of the Gunners’ Premier League home fixture against Leeds United on October 10.

The 28-year-old centre-back, signed from Aston Villa in the summer to cover for William Saliba’s long-term back injury, featured in two of England’s three Nations League games before withdrawing from the squad ahead of their match against Czech Republic.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed the extent of the setback: “Ezri felt discomfort when he came into camp, played with it against Spain and it got a bit worse. He tried everything for the game in Croatia, got the green light and came through all the training sessions — unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and that caused a light trauma. I think nothing major but not worth the risk taking.”

It remains unclear whether Konsa will be available for Saturday’s fixture. Arsenal were already without Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera in their 3-0 defeat at Brighton just before the international break, while Jurrien Timber has only recently returned from his own injury struggles. Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis also sustained injuries of varying severity during the extended international window.

The defensive concerns compound what has been a turbulent break for Mikel Arteta, whose side had won their opening seven fixtures across all competitions before the heavy loss at the Amex Stadium exposed a fragility the Spaniard will be eager to address.

Separately, former Arsenal winger Willian has revealed details of a private conversation with Arteta that preceded his move from Chelsea in 2020. The Brazilian, who joined on a reported £220,000-per-week deal at the age of 32 following the expiry of his Stamford Bridge contract, claims he was sold a vision of his role at the club by Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy before agreeing to the switch.