Arsenal are aiming to defend their Premier League title by further strengthening their squad, having already spent over £100m this transfer window on Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis. The Gunners are now closing in on a £51m deal for Aston Villa and England defender Ezri Konsa.
While it may seem redundant given that Arsenal already have seven senior defenders, Mikel Arteta faces a defensive crisis at the start of the season. William Saliba is ruled out for an extended period with a long-term back issue, and first-choice right-back Jurrien Timber is sidelined with a groin problem.
This leaves Ben White as the only fit right-back and 21-year-old Cristhian Mosquera as the sole right-sided centre-back partner for Gabriel Magalhaes. Arteta prefers not to field two left-footed centre-backs, making Konsa's arrival vital since other options like Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie are also left-footed.
At 28, Konsa enters his prime after winning the Europa League with Villa last season and starting seven games for England at the World Cup. His Premier League metrics highlight his exceptional quality, recording the best ground duel success rate at 73.1% and the highest passing accuracy at 95% among all defenders last term.
Although questions remain about whether Konsa will start regularly once Saliba and Gabriel return to full fitness, the necessity for depth is clear given Arsenal played 63 games across all competitions last season while reaching the Champions League final.
