What Josh Kroenke had to do personally to get Arsenal’s deal done for Ezri Konsa

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Ezri Konsa.

Hand of Arsenal has confirmed that the Aston Villa defender will cost in excess of £50million, and a medical is scheduled for Thursday.

Mikel Arteta wanted to bring in a Premier League proven centre-back after William Saliba was ruled out with a back injury.

A move for Konsa looked to have stalled after they stood firm on their £60million valuation. Arsenal wanted a deal closer to £35million.

They pursued other targets, including Jarell Quansah and Cristian Romero, but Konsa was always the preferred target.

After a long pursuit, Arsenal have got their man. But an interesting behind-the-scenes detail has emerged at how it finally got over the line.

How Josh Kroenke personally got the Ezri Konsa deal done

Konsa himself actively pushed for the move and made clear his desire to move to the Premier League champions, according to Hand of Arsenal.

But the source also indicates that Josh Kroenke had to personally step in to engage with Aston Villa and alleviate the tension that had built between the two clubs.

That tension had roots going back further than this summer. The Ollie Watkins saga in January 2025, when Arsenal made an approach for the Villa striker that went down badly, left a bit of animosity between the clubs.

Villa had also found Arsenal’s initial approach for Konsa insulting.

And perhaps more telling, according to Team News and Ticks, sporting director Andrea Berta was “an issue” in negotiations, suggesting his direct involvement was not always smoothing things over.

It remains to be seen what exactly went on there but it seems Kroenke had to go over Berta’s head to get the deal for Konsa sorted.

Arsenal are paying more than they would’ve liked for the England international, but the need for a quality defender had become a matter of urgency.

Thanks to Josh Kroenke, Konsa is finally North London-bound.