On Thursday, Aston Villa announced the signing of 21-year-old Brentford centre-back Ezri Konsa. The former Charlton defender and England youth international has a whopping 133 professional appearances to date.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith was able to acquire his coveted fourth centre-back just a few days after the long-awaited return of Tyrone Mings. Brentford’s Ezri Konsa is now a member of the claret and blue after a £12 million move triggered a release clause in his contract.
Villa took to Twitter to announce the signing:
We are delighted to confirm the signing of @EKonsa15 from Brentford for an undisclosed fee.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 11, 2019
Full story 👉 https://t.co/owajCvr9b7#WelcomeEzri #AVFC pic.twitter.com/XLqbyME4kn
Ezri in his own words:
Proud to sign for @AVFCOfficial. It’s always been a dream to play in the Premier League and this wouldn’t have been possible without God, my family and my friends. Thanks to the fans for the amazing welcome. I can’t wait to get started! #AVFC pic.twitter.com/93b4PHH82e
— Ezri Konsa (@EzriKonsa) July 11, 2019
Despite not turning 22 until October, Ezri Konsa is already a distinguished and experienced central defender. Standing 6’0″, Konsa fills a gap at the right centre-back position after Axel Tuanzebe returned to Manchester United. As it stands, Villa have a promising quartet of central defenders in Mings, Konsa, Kortney Hause, and James Chester. But the club may not be done wheeling and dealing, however, as reports emerge that the club is in talks to acquire Reims’ Björn Engels.
Reims centre-back Bjorn Engels is being targeted by Aston Villa for a summer move. L'Equipe reports a deal is at an advanced stage. Belgian was excellent last season.#AVFC
— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) July 11, 2019
But more on Konsa…
His 133 appearances for Brentford and Charlton mirror the amount some professionals have in their entire careers. Moreover, this does not include accomplishments achieved on the international stage for England youth teams. Konsa was a member of the England side that won the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. He followed that up the next summer with a victorious 2018 Toulon Tournament (an Under-21/Under-23 youth tournament) where England bested Mexico in the final.
At £12 million, this signing seems a worthy move. With furthered defensive depth, Villa have options to move Konsa along slowly as the season progresses, or grant him the starting spot opposite Tyrone Mings immediately. Either way, he should see playing time, even if the club acquires the services of Engels.