Arsenal are set to sign Aston Villa and England defender Ezri Konsa for around £51m, adding to a summer spend of more than £100m that has already brought in Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis. The move seems counterintuitive given the Gunners already have seven senior defenders, but injuries have left them short at the back: William Saliba faces an extended absence with a long-term back problem, while first-choice right-back Jurrien Timber is also sidelined, leaving Ben White and 21-year-old Cristhian Mosquera as the only fit right-sided options. Manager Mikel Arteta reportedly dislikes pairing two left-footed players in central defence, which would be forced upon him if White were injured and Mosquera had to cover at right-back.

Konsa, 28, was Villa's Europa League-winning centre-back last season and started seven of England's eight World Cup matches. Statistically he stood out among Premier League defenders, ranking first for ground-duel success (73.1%) and passing accuracy (95%), and fifth for progressive ball carries, while maintaining a 97% pass-completion rate through the World Cup. Arsenal, who conceded just 27 league goals en route to their first title in 22 years, also considered Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah before opting for Konsa, and with a gruelling 63-game season last time out, Arteta appears keen to build squad depth to avoid a repeat of previous injury problems.