Aston Villa are being pulled pillar from post this summer. Youri Tielemans has departed for Manchester United. Morgan Rogers secured a big-money move to Chelsea. Ollie Watkins has interest from the Saudi Pro League. And now, Ezri Konsa is on the cusp of a move to Arsenal if reports on Wednesday are to be believed.
While they’ve gone some way to cover the respective departures of the former pair with Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho, they will need to dip into the window in the coming weeks to replace Konsa. The England international has been vital to the way they play.
Indeed, Konsa had the best pass success rate (95.5%) in the Premier League last season. A 97% pass accuracy was better than any other player at the 2026 World Cup. He’s an elite distributor from the back that helps kickstart attacks from defence. And this is where Villa need to start as they identify a replacement for their prized defender in the final knockings of the summer transfer window.
Here, we’ve picked out six ball-playing defenders the Villans should target in the coming days to replace the 28-year-old.
Joel Ordonez
Club Brugge, like Aston Villa, could be torn apart this summer. Christos Tzolis has already moved to Arsenal. Joaquin Seys has been linked with a move to Manchester United. Joel Ordonez could be one to depart the Belgian side. The centre-back is reportedly on Villa’s radar, and for good reason.
The 22-year-old’s standout quality is his distribution. A 91.2% pass accuracy was the sixth best in the Jupiler Pro League prior to the 2025/26 league split. 71.5 passes per 90 was the third most. A Champions League experienced centre-back, Ordonez could prove an effective cut-price successor for Konsa at the back.
Illia Zabarnyi
Illia Zabarnyi swapped Bournemouth for Paris last summer. European champions Paris Saint-Germain lured the Ukrainian away from the Vitality Stadium, though it’s fair to say his debut campaign in France didn’t quite go according to plan. Zabarnyi struggled for the Parisian Powerhouse and drew criticism on a number of occasions from the overly demanding French press.
Villa may be tempted to bring Zabarnyi back to England. Excellent in possession, Zabarnyi still managed an impressive 94.53% pass success rate in Ligue 1 last season. Given his physical standing, he’d slot in well under Unai Emery in the Midlands.
Yann Bisseck
Yann Bisseck has never really nailed down a spot in the Inter starting XI. The 25-year-old only started 21 league matches last season. While they could change in the coming campaign, John Stones’ arrival may well push the German further down the pecking order.
One of Bisseck’s strengths is his ability in possession. The 25-year-old routinely exhibited this quality to his game for an Inter side that ranked second for possession (59.7%) in Serie A last season. Bisseck maintained the third best pass success rate (92.7%) in Italy’s top tier last term. Heavily involved down the right, the Germany international would be a handy pick up.
Eduardo Quaresma
Sporting CP would be reluctant to cash in on two first-team centre-backs this season. Ousmane Diomande has departed for Nottingham Forest, but if Villa are willing to look further afield in their pursuit of a Konsa replacement, then Lisbon would be a good place to check.
Eduardo Quaresma boasted the best pass accuracy (94.9%) in Liga Portugal last season. The Portuguese defender is also comfortable at right-back. Admittedly, it would take a significant bid to lure 24-year-old away from the Jose Alvalade, it may work in Villa’s favour to make checks on Quaresma.
Jarell Quansah
Arsenal were linked with a move for Jarell Quansah when it appeared as though their pursuit for Konsa had hit a dead end. The England star may not be as quick off the mark as his compatriot, but Quansah reinforced his on-ball capabilities in his debut Bundesliga campaign.
The Bayer Leverkusen star managed a respectable 90.3% pass success rate in the 2025/26 season. The issue, though, will be Bayer’s unwillingness to cash in on the 23-year-old. Quansah only moved to the BayArena for £35m last summer. They’d expect a hefty return on their summer 2025 investment.
Jonathan Jesus
A left field choice, yes, but Jonathan Jesus has been excellent on the ball for Brasileirao side Cruzeiro this season. The 22-year-old boasts a better pass success rate (95.5%) than any other player in the 2026 campaign so far.
Jesus’ impressive reading of the game is also a stand-out quality. 36 interceptions ranks second in the Brasileirao. It’s a quality that belies his tender years. The young Brazilian, though, remains rough around the edges. A move for Jesus would be a gamble, but one that could pay off handsomely under the watchful eye of Unai Emery.
