Deeney picks Konsa in Team of the Week, praises his 'solid' defending
Ezri Konsa's start to life at Arsenal has earned him a place in Troy Deeney's BBC Team of the Week, with the former striker singling out the defender's no fuss approach to defending as the reason for his selection.
Konsa was a standout performer as Arsenal beat Everton at the weekend, scoring a goal while also putting in a string of important defensive interventions. Deeney paired him with Aston Villa loanee James Hill in his Team of the Week, explaining his reasoning on the BBC.
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“We're going to have Konsa and Hill. Both of these two are in for the same reason: they're absolutely solid. They just do their job effectively well. No one's talking about them for their theatrics,” Deeney said.
“No one's talking about them because they play out well from the back. They're just proper defenders who defend. Obviously Konsa gets a goal, so he gets an extra little part for that, but Hill was celebrating making tackles because that's what he does.”
A fast move that is paying off
Konsa joined Arsenal after winning the Europa League with Aston Villa last season, with reports at the time suggesting interest from elsewhere in the market had Arsenal not moved quickly to secure his signature. Having established himself as one of the more reliable centre backs in the Premier League over the past few seasons, his early performances suggest the move has settled in smoothly.
His goal against Everton came alongside a defensively assured display, the kind of performance that has started to generate genuine competition for places in Mikel Arteta's back line.
Competition for Saliba's spot
William Saliba has long been first choice at centre back when fit, but Konsa's form is creating a selection headache that Arteta will likely welcome. Rather than simply holding the fort in Saliba's absence, Konsa looks to be making a case to stay in the side once his teammate is available again.
That kind of depth and competition across the back line has been viewed as a weakness for Arsenal in previous seasons, so having two centre backs of this calibre pushing each other can only be a positive. Supporters will be hoping both can avoid injury problems and keep that competition alive deep into the campaign.
For now, Konsa continues to build his reputation in north London, with performances like the one against Everton making it increasingly difficult to leave him out of the team regardless of who returns from injury.
