Why Arsenal still needed Konsa

The final hours of the transfer window could see Arsenal bring in an attacker. But before the window shuts, a defensive purchase could take centre stage on Monday night. <p>Ezri Konsa could be primed for his Arsenal debut at, of all places, the club he has just departed, Aston Villa. Despite not playing any pre-season football in and around his \u00a351m move to north London, Mikel Arteta says Konsa could be ready for a first Gunners outing at Villa Park.</p><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 is not the signing many expected from Arsenal this summer. Arsenal didn't really need a defender, it's one of their strongest areas of the pitch and the attack needed more attention. But they got him anyway.</p><widget id="4"></widget><p>That does not make Konsa an unnecessary arrival; this could be the buy that helps shore up Arsenal's title defence.</p><p>At 28 years old, Konsa is yet another example of the 'win now' stage of Arteta's Arsenal project. They've got the Premier League title but now the target is to create a dynasty.</p> <widget id="9"></widget><p>As a result, Arsenal have shifted their transfer policy. Around five years ago, it was about signing younger players who can grow into the team. But every year, Arsenal have been signing older and older players on average, as the desire - and the necessity - to win grows more and more.</p><p>And in signing two 28-year-olds in Bruno Guimaraes and Konsa, Arsenal are buying older and more experienced players like never before. Experience is the key word - with all four of Arsenal's summer signings to date possessing Premier League football on their CVs.</p> <widget id="2"></widget><p>Yes, the average age of Arsenal signings in the 2024/25 season was at a similar level to the current transfer activity. But Arteta also promoted Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, both 17 at the time, to the first-team squad that year. That would have significantly lowered the average age of Arsenal's first-team regulars.</p><p>Konsa is also in the Arsenal team because of a small gap in the squad. William Saliba is currently a long-term absentee, while Jurrien Timber and Ben White have questionable fitness records, so a centre-back who could also cover at right-back was preferable.</p> <widget id="7"></widget><p>However, while Arsenal have some promising young defenders, namely Cristhian Mosquera and Marli Salmon, Mikel Arteta's desire to create a dynasty means no stone can be left unturned.</p><p>Mosquera <em>can </em>cover at right-back but gave away a penalty in the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain while playing that role. The margins against the very best are <em>so </em>fine.</p><p>So Konsa was also brought in for his quality with and without the ball. The England defender is a classic Arteta signing through his duel-winning ability.</p><p>The Arsenal manager recognises it as a crucial skill in the game and once said: "When I lose a duel, I am upset" at his players, as seen in the Amazon Prime documentary five years ago.</p> <widget id="3"></widget><p>Well, no Premier League player won more duels on the ground than Konsa, and the England international's lead at the top of this metric is quite significant. He's in a league of his own in this discipline.</p><p>But while Konsa is an aggressive player off the ball, he's a calm player on it. Another metric Konsa topped in the Premier League last season is passing accuracy, but a closer look at his numbers recognise a specific skill.</p><p>Konsa ranked second for forward passing accuracy, showing his ability to find gaps through the opposition. And given a lot of teams will stand off Arsenal and retreat into a low block, it's a good attribute for the Gunners to have.</p><p>But Konsa is also effective when pressed. His 944 passes when under pressure was the sixth-highest out of any Premier League defender last season, while his retention rate - his ability to keep the ball - of 94.8 per cent was the best out of any player in the division.</p> <widget id="5"></widget><p>Arteta often speaks about having certain "rules" in the phases when they play out of the back and start attacks. Lose the ball and the team is in trouble and at risk of conceding. Play the right pass early and the gaps emerge for Arsenal's forward players to cause damage.</p><p>So while Konsa's signing adds to the defensive solidity that makes Arteta's team what it is, it is also part of an overall plan to improve Arsenal from open play and create spaces earlier in the pitch for Arsenal to benefit from.</p> <widget id="10"></widget><p>And with any Arsenal defender, set-piece proficiency has to stand out - and Konsa has a boost in that department too.</p><p>Konsa spent one season under the set-piece stewardship of Arsenal dead-ball guru Nicolas Jover while at Brentford in 2018/19, and both have been...