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See the full story · 2 sourcesI'm here to win
Arsenal have completed the \u00a355m deal to sign defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa. <p>"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.</p><p>"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."</p><p>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 \u00a351m with a potential \u00a34m in add-ons.</p><p>The 28-year-old could now make his Arsenal debut against his old club at Villa Park in the <em>Monday Night Football </em>on August 31, live on<em> Sky Sports</em>.</p><widget id="4"></widget><ul><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/TransfersSkySportsApp" target="_blank"><strong>Transfer Centre LIVE!</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/Arsblogarticles" target="_blank"><strong>Arsenal news & transfers</strong></a>\ud83d\udd34\u26aa</li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/Arsenalscores" target="_blank"><strong>Arsenal fixtures & scores</strong></a><strong> | </strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/FreePLHighlightsFirst" target="_blank"><strong>FREE Arsenal highlights</strong></a>\u25b6\ufe0f</li><li><strong>Got Sky? </strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/WatchPremarticles" target="_blank"><strong>Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone</strong></a>\ud83d\udcf1</li><li><strong>Not got Sky? </strong><a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>Latest Sky Sports deals</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="https://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports/football/premier-league?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>stream PL games with no contract</strong></a>\ud83d\udcfa</li></ul><p>Konsa has become Arsenal's fifth major summer signing after <strong>Piero Hincapie</strong> joined permanently from Bayer Leverkusen and the arrivals of <strong>Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis</strong> and <strong>Bruno Guimaraes</strong>.</p><p>Konsa's arrival comes after the Premier League champions were looking for a new defender with <strong>William Saliba</strong> out for an extended period of time, while <strong>Jurrien Timber </strong>remains sidelined with a long-term groin problem.</p><p>Villa had initially held out for \u00a360m, 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.</p><p>Arsenal also looked into a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen's <strong>Jarell Quansah</strong> 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.</p> <widget id="8"></widget><h3>Konsa: I love defending!</h3><p>Arteta joins a host of Arsenal defenders including Saliba, Timber, Gabriel, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"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."</p><h3>Analysis: Konsa is a perfect Arteta player - here's why</h3><p><em>Sky Sports' <strong>Sam Blitz</strong>:</em></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> <widget id="2"></widget><p>With both Saliba and Timber out injured, Arsenal were in need of a player who can cover both right-back and centre-back roles.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Can they find the forward player they have been looking for?</p> <widget id="5"></widget>