Arsenal fans are all saying the same thing about Ezri Konsa after Napoli display

Arsenal beat Napoli 1-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday night.

Martin Odegaard’s thunderbolt off the post and into the net at the 75th-minute mark settled a game Arsenal dominated but struggled to finish.

They had 26 shots to Napoli’s five, with Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Piero Hincapie and Noni Madueke all spurning gilt-edged chances. Fortunately for them, the captain broke the deadlock.

Overall though, a good start for Arsenal. Three points on the board as they look to replicate their league phase success from last season. Fourth clean sheet in five competitive games. Another perfect night, except for the finishing.

But while the talk after the game has rightly centred on Odegaard, one player has been quietly exceptional in every single one of those five games.

Another solid performance from Ezri Konsa

Ezri Konsa was outstanding at the Maradona. 100% pass accuracy (54 out of 54), 100% success rate in ground duels, four recoveries, and two interceptions.

And perhaps most impressively, every time Napoli threatened on the counter — through Kevin De Bruyne, Rasmus Hojlund and Alisson Santos — Konsa was there. Pace, power, intelligence. Never flustered. Never beaten.

Hand of Arsenal summed the mood up around him perfectly at half-time: “Not much to say except how good is Ezri Konsa? Perfect blend of composure and aggression. Has slotted in seamlessly for the best defence on the planet. Top signing. The fact he can also play RB is crazy.”

Not much to say except how good is Ezri Konsa? Perfect blend of composure and aggression. Has slotted in seamlessly for the best defence on the planet. Top signing. The fact he can also play RB is crazy.

— HandofArsenal (@HandofArsenal) September 9, 2026

That last point is worth pointing out again. Jurrien Timber travelled with the squad to Napoli suggesting his return is close, but he wasn’t named on the subs bench.

Ben White has played almost every minute of the campaign so far. We know White’s injury record and we know Arsenal might need right-back cover at some point this season. Konsa could provide that.

The £50million fee looked reasonable at the time, but five games in, it looks like a bargain. So far, he is seamlessly replacing the best centre-back in the world.

Top signing. Arsenal fans aren’t even debating it anymore.