Arsenal have agreed a deal with Aston Villa to sign Ezri Konsa for £51 million.
The Gunners touted cover at centre-back and right-back as a primary acquisition, initially viewing Jarell Quansah as a leading candidate.
The Villans planned to maintain their position of a £60 million price tag to let go of Konsa, but Arsenal were able to negotiate a reasonable price tag below their evaluation.
Incomparable in duels won
“If there’s one thing you need to know about Mikel Arteta, it’s that he loves players that win duels,” Sky Sports‘ Sam Blitz said.
“Nobody was better at it than Ezri Konsa last season.
“The England international 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 – who looks set to be his team-mate next season.”
Konsa registered a 73.1 per cent success rate on ground duels over the course of last season.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta claims Arsenal are set for greater heights under his leadership
Saliba and Timber loss
“Arsenal are in need of defensive reinforcement this summer with both William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both out injured, so need a player who can cover both right-back and centre-back roles,” Blitz went on to say in his analysis.
“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 difficult injury record over the last two seasons.
“Should a move for Konsa be 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.”
If the transfer is finalised and Konsa is a registered Arsenal player late on Thursday, he’ll be able to feature in Friday’s season opener against Coventry City.
READ NEXT: Bruno Guimaraes joins Arsenal in £75m move; Brazilian sees Gunners as ‘exciting challenge’
