Ezri Konsa Answered Doubts Over His £55m Fee as Saliba Sits Out

• Ezri Konsa has started six of Arsenal’s eight Premier League games after his £55m move from Aston Villa, and Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals in the league while William Saliba sits out injured.
• Konsa tops the Premier League for pass completion this season at 96 per cent from 324 passes, as he did last season.
• Mikel Arteta called his start “unbelievable”, and Martin Keown said Konsa “has not been overshadowed at all” by Saliba and Gabriel.

The Signing Nobody Seemed to Need Now Looks Essential

When Arsenal confirmed in July that William Saliba would miss an “extended period” with a long-term back problem, supporters had every reason to worry. Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes formed the pairing at the heart of a defence that conceded 27 league goals on the way to the title last season.

Eight games into the new campaign, Saliba has still not played. Arsenal sit level on points at the top of the table anyway, with the best defensive record in the division and a clean sheet in five of their eight league matches, more than any other side.

The reason is Konsa, the 29-year-old who joined from Aston Villa for £55m in August. The deal raised eyebrows at the time. Was it too much money? Did Arsenal need another centre-back with Cristhian Mosquera in the squad and seven senior defenders already on the books? Why spend on a defender and not a forward? Those questions have faded. The debate now is whether Konsa and Gabriel are the best centre-back partnership in world football, not just the Premier League.

A Debut Off the Bench, Then a Place in the Team

Konsa signed just hours before the season opener against Coventry, so he joined with no pre-season. His first appearance came off the bench in the second game against his old club Villa, after Mosquera picked up an injury. He has started six of the eight league matches, and all three Champions League games, where Arsenal are unbeaten.

Arteta has been generous in his praise. “He’s gone to a huge club like Arsenal with no pre-season when Saliba is here, with other players that are already here,” the Arsenal manager said. “To position yourself in that manner, with that naturality I would say, and performing at the level that he’s doing and building already a chemistry and a balance with Gabi that seems so solid, it’s very difficult to do and we are really lucky to have him.” He described the start as “unbelievable”.

The numbers support him. Konsa had the best pass-completion rate in the Premier League last season and leads the chart again with a 96 per cent success rate from 324 passes. Last season he also ranked top among outfield players who contested 20 or more ground duels. This season he is 12th on that measure.

Praise From Keown and Rogers

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown spoke on Match of the Day about the company Konsa keeps. Saliba and Gabriel both made the Ballon d’Or list, Keown said, and Konsa “has not been overshadowed at all by the people he has played alongside.”

Morgan Rogers, Konsa’s former Villa teammate, who joined Chelsea this summer in a £117m move, said at the World Cup that Konsa does not get the credit he deserves and is “one of the best centre-backs in football”. Konsa started seven of England’s eight games at that tournament and helped Villa win the Europa League, the club’s first European trophy for 44 years. He made 286 appearances for Villa after joining from Brentford in July 2019.

First Goal and a Partnership That Scores

Konsa marked his progress on Saturday by scoring his first Arsenal goal in the win over Everton. Gabriel scored too, in his 200th Premier League appearance, for his 21st league goal for the club. It was the first time in more than two and a half years that two Arsenal centre-backs scored in the same Premier League game. The last occasion was in February 2024, when Gabriel and Saliba both found the net against a David Moyes side, West Ham.

Konsa and Gabriel have made nine starts together, with seven wins, five clean sheets and two goals. Konsa said Gabriel has made “my life easy” and called playing alongside him “a pleasure”. Asked about Arsenal’s strong start, he said: “I’ve come to this stadium for many seasons, I know how tough it is to play against us. It’s not surprising to me.” He added: “We are champions and to be champions you’ve got to win games consistently. This is our home and we want to win as many games here as possible.”

Arsenal have changed their approach to recruitment and now focus on signings in the peak of their careers, as the club look to add more silverware to the title. Konsa, in his prime, fits that profile.

What Happens When Saliba Returns

Saliba has no date for a return and is doing individual work on the grass. Arteta said “we are desperate to have him back”. He also pointed to the way his centre-backs “look after each other”, which he called “the beauty of our team”.

Konsa’s next test comes when Saliba is fit again. He can also play at right-back, so he has more than one route into the side.