Arteta Heard Everything He Wanted Before Arsenal Move for Konsa

Mikel Arteta heard everything he wanted to hear before Ezri Konsa’s move to Arsenal.

The Aston Villa defender is on the verge of completing his move to the Emirates Stadium, with Berta stepping up efforts to strengthen the Gunners’ defence as William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are both currently sidelined with injuries.

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Villa over Konsa’s transfer. According to football.london, Arsenal will pay £51 million plus add-ons for the defender, who still has two years remaining on his contract with the club.

The 28-year-old England international was due to travel to the Bodymoor Heath training ground on Wednesday to say goodbye to the coaching staff and his teammates before undergoing his medical on Thursday. Konsa only recently returned to training after being given additional time off following England’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Despite not featuring for a single minute during pre-season, the Gunners are racing against time to make sure Konsa is at least available for the opening game of the new Premier League season.

Premier League rules state that players must be registered by 12 noon on the working day before a match. That means if Berta fails to complete the deal before midday on Thursday, Konsa’s Arsenal debut will have to wait another week, with Arsenal hosting Coventry on Friday night.

On paper, Konsa is a centre-back, but he is also capable of playing at full-back, giving Arteta considerable tactical flexibility, particularly during periods of injuries or congested festive schedules.



In an interview with The Athletic in August 2023, the versatile defender said he was happy to embrace the challenge regardless of where he was asked to play.

“Playing at full-back is different. In the Premier League, you come up against some really good wingers, but that is a challenge I look forward to. Wherever the manager puts me, I’ll get the job done,” Konsa said.

Bukayo Saka had already given Konsa’s arrival the green light.

In June 2024, the Arsenal academy graduate spoke about his experience of facing Konsa in England training sessions.

“Some training sessions I’ll go one-on-one with Konsa because he’s one of the best one-v-one defenders in the Premier League. It helps me improve, and it helps him improve as well. I really enjoy going up against him.”

Konsa appears capable of fitting seamlessly into Arsenal’s system. In November 2025, during an international break, the Arsenal target spoke about the importance of mastering set pieces at both ends of the pitch and how he adapts his game accordingly.

“This season you’ve seen more long throw-ins. Brentford are very good at them and they’re difficult to defend. The physical side of the game is becoming stronger, and you have to be strong enough. Teams need that physical intensity, otherwise you can really struggle.”

“The Premier League changes every year and gets harder every year. This season, you’re going to see teams scoring more goals from set pieces, while there’s also a greater focus on defending them. As a defender, it’s important to be physically competitive at set pieces and to make sure the teammates around you are prepared for the threats that are coming. Look at Arsenal and how many goals they’ve scored from set pieces and how many points they’ve gained from them. It really does play a huge part in games and is an extremely important part of football.”

Arsenal appear to be landing another “Swiss Army knife”.



In April 2026, Konsa spoke on Aston Villa’s official podcast about how he became a centre-back and admitted that he would love to return to midfield one day.

“I actually started out playing in central midfield, as a defensive midfielder,” Konsa recalled of his time in the Charlton academy. “I quite enjoyed that position. I then played right-back for a while, and when I was at U18 level, there was a game when the manager asked if I wanted to try centre-back. I said yes, and I never looked back. Over the years, I’ve played right-back and centre-back, but I’ve never played in midfield since. I’d really like to try it again, just once. Being able to play in different positions is always a blessing.”

“I’m fortunate that I have the ability to play in different positions. I’ve always said that wherever the manager puts me, I’ll do my best to get the job done.”