Ezri Konsa: Arsenal complete £55m deal for Aston Villa and England defender
Ezri Konsa completes £55m move to Arsenal from Aston Villa; England defender provides additional competition in defence for the Premier League champions; Konsa's signing comes with William Saliba out for an extended period, plus Jurrien Timber is also injured
Friday 21 August 2026 16:12, UK
Arsenal have completed the £55m deal to sign defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa.
"It's a proud moment for me and my family to play for one of the best teams in the world," Konsa said after Arsenal announced the move.
"I want to keep winning, hungry to win and that's what I'm here for. I'm here to win. I'll do everything in my power to continue bringing success to this club."
The England international has signed a four-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months after passing his medical. He joins for a fixed fee of £51m with a potential £4m in add-ons.
The 28-year-old could now make his Arsenal debut against his old club at Villa Park in the Monday Night Football on August 31, live on Sky Sports.
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Konsa has become Arsenal's fifth major summer signing after Piero Hincapie joined permanently from Bayer Leverkusen and the arrivals of Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes.
Konsa's arrival comes after the Premier League champions were looking for a new defender with William Saliba out for an extended period of time, while Jurrien Timber remains sidelined with a long-term groin problem.
Villa had initially held out for £60m, with Arsenal hoping to pay much less, but the two clubs found a compromise on Thursday to strike a deal for the former Brentford defender.
Arsenal also looked into a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah but have chosen to sign his England team-mate Konsa. Both players have a similar profile and can play at right-back and centre-back.
Konsa: I love defending!
Arteta joins a host of Arsenal defenders including Saliba, Timber, Gabriel, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera.
Asked what he will bring to Mikel Arteta's "Defending. I know he loves defenders who can really defend and defenders who are calm on the ball. His style suits me so I can't wait to get going.
Meanwhile, Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta, said: "Ezri is a defender of high quality, whose athleticism, composure and tactical intelligence have established him as one of the Premier League's most consistent performers.
"Being comfortable in both central defence and at right-back, Ezri will bring valuable versatility to our squad while maintaining the high defensive standards which are fundamental to our challenge of winning major trophies.
"We are welcoming a player with proven Premier League and international experience, and strong leadership qualities, who will adapt seamlessly to our style of play.
"Just as importantly, we are welcoming a player with the character and mentality to make an immediate impact within our club. We welcome Ezri and his family to Arsenal."
Analysis: Konsa is a perfect Arteta player - here's why
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
If there's one thing you need to know about Mikel Arteta, it's that he loves players that win duels. Nobody was better at it than Ezri Konsa last season.
He won more duels on the ground than any other Premier League player last season - finishing quite some distance ahead of his nearest challengers Virgil van Dijk and Gabriel - his new team-mate.
With both Saliba and Timber out injured, Arsenal were in need of a player who can cover both right-back and centre-back roles.
The Gunners do have Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White as cover in those roles - and both performed well in the Community Shield win over Manchester City - but the latter has a lengthy injury record over the last two seasons.
Arsenal also saw the importance of having good depth at right-back when Mosquera was forced to start the Champions League final with PSG out of position - with the young Spaniard conceding a penalty.
Now a move for Konsa has been completed, Arsenal have filled an important part of their team - and would be very close to completing their transfer window from an incomings point of view.
Can they find the forward player they have been looking for?
