Ezri Konsa could join Petr Cech in an exclusive Arsenal club after sealing £51m move
Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa, in a deal that signifies the end of their protracted pursuit of a centre-back this summer.
The Gunners were pushed into action in this position after it was revealed that William Saliba would spend several months on the sidelines recovering from his long-standing back injury. While Mikel Arteta has Cristhian Mosquera at his disposal, the feeling is that the Spaniard cannot play every minute between now and the end of 2026 in Saliba's absence.
Andrea Berta has subsequently accelerated the search for a new defender in the last few weeks and has ultimately landed on Konsa after contemplating moves for the likes of John Stones and Jarell Quansah.
Ezri Konsa could make his Arsenal debut at Villa Park
Arsenal are reportedly rushing to complete the deal for Konsa before midday on Thursday, with this being the deadline for players to be registered ahead of Friday's opening Premier League fixture against Coventry City.
However, the likelihood is that the England international won't quite be registered in time and will have to wait another week to make his debut for the Gunners. If this does prove to be the case, he could be in store for a box office first showing in a red and white shirt.
Arsenal's second game of the season comes away to Aston Villa. Assuming Konsa has integrated into the team and is physically ready to play, he could be in line to make his debut for his new club at his former stomping ground.
It's unclear how Villa fans will perceive Konsa following his imminent switch to the Emirates, although it's unlikely to be positive. This could add to what will already be a tense atmosphere in the West Midlands in a Monday night encounter.
Petr Cech the only other Arsenal player in recent times to make his debut against club he signed from
If Konsa does indeed make his debut against the club he signed from, he'll be joining a pretty exclusive club at Arsenal.
In the last 20 years at least, no Gunners player has made their first appearance for the club against the side they joined from, barring Petr Cech. Arsenal signed the goalkeeper from Chelsea for £11 million in the summer of 2015.
Just over a month later, the shot-stopper made his Gunners debut at Wembley against the Blues in the Community Shield. He kept a clean sheet as Arsenal won 1-0 courtesy of an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal.
The North Londoners will hope their newest star can replicate Cech's heroics and use his expertise of his former club to down them on their own turf in just over a week's time.
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