Why Arsenal still needed Konsa - despite having so many defenders

Ezri Konsa could make his Arsenal debut away at former club Aston Villa, the £55m signing represents a shift in transfer activity from the Premier League champions; watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football from 6.30pm, kick-off 8pm

The final hours of the transfer window could see Arsenal bring in an attacker. But before the window shuts, a defensive purchase could take centre stage on Monday night.

Ezri Konsa could be primed for his Arsenal debut at, of all places, the club he has just departed, Aston Villa. Despite not playing any pre-season football in and around his £51m move to north London, Mikel Arteta says Konsa could be ready for a first Gunners outing at Villa Park.

Konsa is not the signing many expected from Arsenal this summer. Arsenal didn't really need a defender, it's one of their strongest areas of the pitch and the attack needed more attention. But they got him anyway.

That does not make Konsa an unnecessary arrival; this could be the buy that helps shore up Arsenal's title defence.

At 28 years old, Konsa is yet another example of the 'win now' stage of Arteta's Arsenal project. They've got the Premier League title but now the target is to create a dynasty.

As a result, Arsenal have shifted their transfer policy. Around five years ago, it was about signing younger players who can grow into the team. But every year, Arsenal have been signing older and older players on average, as the desire - and the necessity - to win grows more and more.

And in signing two 28-year-olds in Bruno Guimaraes and Konsa, Arsenal are buying older and more experienced players like never before. Experience is the key word - with all four of Arsenal's summer signings to date possessing Premier League football on their CVs.

Yes, the average age of Arsenal signings in the 2024/25 season was at a similar level to the current transfer activity. But Arteta also promoted Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, both 17 at the time, to the first-team squad that year. That would have significantly lowered the average age of Arsenal's first-team regulars.

Konsa is also in the Arsenal team because of a small gap in the squad. William Saliba is currently a long-term absentee, while Jurrien Timber and Ben White have questionable fitness records, so a centre-back who could also cover at right-back was preferable.

However, while Arsenal have some promising young defenders, namely Cristhian Mosquera and Marli Salmon, Mikel Arteta's desire to create a dynasty means no stone can be left unturned.

Mosquera can cover at right-back but gave away a penalty in the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain while playing that role. The margins against the very best are so fine.

So Konsa was also brought in for his quality with and without the ball. The England defender is a classic Arteta signing through his duel-winning ability.

The Arsenal manager recognises it as a crucial skill in the game and once said: "When I lose a duel, I am upset" at his players, as seen in the Amazon Prime documentary five years ago.