Ezri Konsa could soon be moving to North London, as Arsenal have agreed a reported $70 million deal with Aston Villa.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein says that Konsa’s already said goodbye to his Villa teammates ahead of a Thursday medical.
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Konsa turns 29 in October and has two years left on his deal with Villa. He was not with the team in their UEFA Super Cup loss to PSG.
The center back — who has played some right back for Villa — returned to Villa camp on Monday following an extended break.
Ezri Konsa to Arsenal: What does it mean for the Gunners, Villans?
This feels quite a bit like a short- and medium-term play for Arsenal, and given his age it’s just another sign that the Gunners are feeling greedy for silverware.
Signing Konsa and Bruno Guimaraes for significant fees shows a team that knocked the burden off its back and is seeking what’s next instead of feeling content with a trophy.
Yes, injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber have necessitated the addition of an experienced back, but this feels a lot more like a team who’s learned from champions Liverpool not adding center back cover last season or Man City being a bit thin up top a couple of seasons ago.
Mikel Arteta will prefer the headache of keeping a deeper team healthy to wearing out his Best XI, and the bonus of players finding their way into the Best XI through performance is lovely, too.
Arsenal can win everything on offer this season. It’s a new kind of pressure.
