'Hungry to win' - Villa's Konsa joins Arsenal in £55m deal
Source: BBC Sport ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
Arsenal complete the £55m signing of England defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa. Ezri Konsa says he is proud to play for "one of the best teams in the world" as he completed his £55m move to Arsenal . The 28-year-old England defender joins the Premier League champions from Aston Villa on a four-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year. After weeks of negotiation, the clubs reached an agreement on Wednesday which could earn Villa up to an additional £4m in add-ons. "It's a privilege to be here and can't wait to get started," said Konsa, who revealed he had spoken with Arsenal 's Three Lions players about joining while at the World Cup. "I want to keep winning, I'm hungry to win and that's what I'm here for. "It's a proud moment for me and my family to play for one of the best teams in the world." BBC Sport revealed Arsenal were in talks with Villa about signing Konsa last week, but the clubs disagreed on his valuation. Bayer Leverkusen's Jarrell Quansah, who represented England alongside Konsa at this summer's World Cup, was also an option for the Gunners before a fee was finally agreed. Arsenal 's sporting director Andrea Berta said: "Ezri is a defender of high quality, whose athleticism, composure and tactical intelligence have established him as one of the Premier League's most consistent performers. "Being comfortable in both central defence and at right-back, Ezri will bring valuable versatility to our squad while maintaining the high defensive standards which are fundamental to our challenge of winning major trophies." Konsa made 286 appearances for Villa since joining in July 2019 from Brentford and helped them win the Europa League in May, the club's first European trophy since 1982. He scored two goals last season with one assist in 48 appearances as Unai Emery's men secured Champions League football with a fourth-placed Premier League finish.
Konsa also played in every England game as Thomas Tuchel's side reached the World Cup semi-finals, losing to Argentina, but then winning the Bronze medal match by beating France. Arsenal quartet Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were also in the squad and discussed the move with him while in North America. Konsa revealed: "They said I'll enjoy it. I'm looking forward to training with them and playing with them." He was given four weeks off by Emery after the tournament and has not played in any of Villa's pre-season games, including their 2-1 defeat by Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup . Break-up of Villa's Europa heroes leaves cracks for Emery to fill The Gunners have spent more than £100m already, bringing in midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle (£75m) and Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis (£34m) during this transfer window. Last season, their extremely well-organised defence - aided by the effective partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes - helped them win their first title in 22 years as they conceded just 27 league goals. But half of their title-winning backline is not going to be fit for the first part of the season. Saliba has been ruled out for an 'extended period' with a long-term back issue, which he had been managing last season and which ended his World Cup with France early. Jurrien Timber, Arsenal 's first-choice right-back, is also out for the opening weeks with a groin problem that caused him to pull out of the Netherlands' World Cup squad. That has left Ben White, who has had his own fitness issues in recent seasons, as Arsenal 's only fit right-back and 21-year-old Cristhian Mosquera as the only right-sided centre back to partner Gabriel. It could be argued Arsenal , who also made defender Piero Hincapie's loan deal permanent this summer, could be able to cope without signing another defender.
But Arteta does not seem to like fielding two left-footed players at centre-back - which would happen if White got injured and Mosquera had to move to right-back. Riccardo Calafiori is preferred at left-back by Arteta because of the unpredictability he brings to the team's attack, while Hincapie is left-sided too. Highly-rated 16-year-old academy defender Marli Salmon is also on the books, but is most likely to be used sparingly in cup competitions as he continues to develop. Konsa's departure to Arsenal is the latest high-profile exit at Villa Park this summer as Emery's squad undergoes drastic change. Like many, Villa are a selling club, mainly due to necessity, and have been for a number of years. They must comply with Uefa's squad cost ratio (SCR) which restricts them to spending 70% of their football-related revenue on player and staff wages, transfer fees and agent fees. They have already been fined twice by Uefa for breaches, being hit with a £9.5m sanction last year and a £19.4m fine in June , although £12.9m was suspended after Villa came to a settlement agreement with European football's governing body. But it has meant the club's hands are tied in the transfer window. The Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) also limit financial losses to a maximum of £105m over a rolling three-year period.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Multinational firms often adjust their playbooks when stories like this break.
- ▶Global supply chains might feel a slight tremor as businesses adjust.
🏙️Local Economyhigh impact
What this means for you
- ▶A big result can even lift spending in the days that follow.
- ▶Public transport nearby can see a healthy surge in fares.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶The next rate-setting meeting is a more likely trigger than this news alone.
- ▶Savings rates can lag behind news like this by weeks, not days.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Fans' hearts race with the drama — in a mostly good way.
- ▶Excitement is healthy, though nail-biting finishes test the nerves.
💷Wealthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Money set aside for the future can afford to sit tight through this.
- ▶Steady hands usually come out ahead when a story like this breaks.
🏠Housingmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶A patient seller usually fares better than one rushing to react to headlines.
- ▶A slow-moving market like housing rarely reacts overnight.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.