It has been clear over the last couple of weeks that Arsenal have been targeting a defender, knowing that they are without William Saliba for the first part of this season.
Ezri Konsa’s name was most heavily linked before Jarell Quansah emerged as a surprise target last week, and they have got the deal for Konsa over the line.
James McNicholas, Jacob Tanswell and David Ornstein have all provided insight on how it happened — here is an excerpt from the piece, which you can read at the link below.
✍️ With a significant gap between valuations of Konsa, Arsenal explored alternatives. Their interest in Cristian Romero was significant, with assistant Gabriel Heinze a strong advocate for his countryman’s leadership attributes. Despite Tottenham’s insistence that they would not sell to their rivals, Arsenal continued to explore the viability of a deal.
Arsenal have a long-standing interest in Atletico Madrid’s Marc Pubill. Atleti are unwilling to consider selling Pubill, even after signing Romero. They also made enquiries around Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen. The German club had no interest in selling Quansah, and with Liverpool’s buy-back set at €70million, Arsenal recognised any pursuit could prove even more expensive than Konsa.
Recent negotiations between Arsenal and Villa have been strained, but Arsenal’s conviction that they needed a new defender pushed them to try to find a solution.
