Arsenal have agreed a £51m deal to signal Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa.
Arsenal are at present in search of a brand new defender with William Saliba out for an prolonged time period, with Jurrien Timber additionally sidelined with a long-term groin drawback.
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Sky Sports activities’ Danyal Khan brings the most recent on Ezri Konsa, as Arsenal agree a take care of Aston Villa for the defender.
If he’s not signed in time for Arsenal’s opening Premier League sport towards Coventry on Friday, Konsa’s Gunners debut may happen away at Aston Villa, stay on Sky Sports activities’ Monday Night time Soccer on August 31.
The Gunners’ curiosity in Konsa has lasted all summer season with Villa initially valuing him at £60m – a valuation Arsenal have been unwilling to satisfy.
Villa, in the meantime, have an curiosity in Tosin Adarabioyo at Chelsea as a possible substitute for Konsa.
Chelsea at the moment are able to hearken to gives for Tosin, who additionally has curiosity from Marseille, Benfica and Sevilla.
Friday twenty first August 6:30pm
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Evaluation: Konsa is an ideal Arteta participant – this is why
Sky Sports activities’ Sam Blitz:
If there’s one factor you might want to learn about Mikel Arteta, it is that he loves gamers that win duels. No person was higher at it than Ezri Konsa final season.
The England worldwide gained extra duels on the bottom than some other Premier League participant final season – ending fairly far forward of his nearest challengers Virgil van Dijk and Gabriel – who appears to be like set to be his team-mate subsequent season.
Konsa had the very best floor duel success fee out of any Premier League defender final season
Arsenal are in want of defensive reinforcement this summer season with each William Saliba and Jurrien Timber each out injured, so want a participant who can cowl each right-back and centre-back roles.
The Gunners do have Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White as cowl in these roles – and each carried out nicely within the Neighborhood Defend win over Manchester Metropolis – however the latter has a tough damage file over the past two seasons.
Arsenal additionally noticed the significance of getting good depth at right-back when Mosquera was pressured to begin the Champions League closing with PSG out of place – which then resulted within the younger Spaniard conceding a penalty.
Ought to a transfer for Konsa be accomplished, Arsenal have stuffed an essential a part of their group – and can be very near finishing their switch window from an incomings standpoint.
Can they discover the ahead participant they’ve been wanting the entire window for?
Arteta: Arsenal wish to be the very best membership on this planet
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Sky Sports activities’ Rob Dorsett talks to Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta concerning the membership having the ‘ambition and want’ to win back-to-back Premier League titles and the way they’re focusing on elite gamers to be the very best membership on this planet
Arteta is happy to maintain constructing Arsenal after their Premier League win, vowing to make them “the very best membership on this planet”.
“It is definitely the ambition of the membership and the homeowners to be the very best membership on this planet,” he informed Sky Sports activities at a Premier League launch occasion forward of their Friday night time opener towards Coventry, stay on Sky.
“In an effort to do this, you want the very best services, the very best stadium, the very best supporters, and also you want the very best squad and the very best gamers on this planet.
“These are those that win you soccer matches and those that may be decisive when it issues.
“That is what we attempt to construct with the precise gamers that we’ve got, and with the gamers that we wish to signal to make the distinction for Arsenal.”
Arsenal go into the season as outright favourites to retain their title, with that standing additional underlined by their comfy 3-0 win over Manchester Metropolis in Sunday’s Neighborhood Defend. Arteta, nevertheless, says he’s greater than comfy with the place of being the frontrunners.
“That is a part of our trade, and that is okay,” he stated. “For me, it is once I look into the eyes of my gamers and I see that fireside, that want and the need to be higher each single day. That is the one factor that I care about.”
The burden of historical past is towards Arsenal defending their trophy, nevertheless. Arsenal haven’t defended the top-flight title for the reason that Thirties. It’s one other milestone Arteta is eager to beat.
“That is a chance that we’ve got forward, and we’re very acutely aware of what it may take to ship that,” he stated. “However I really feel the ambition, I really feel the need, and I really feel the power and the conviction across the group that we are able to do it.”