Arsenal have made Brentford defender and England U20 international Ezri Konsa a prime target for their January transfer window. Konsa who joined Brentford back in July this year from Charlton was also a part of England U-20 side which won the U-20 World Cup in 2017. Konsa has played a pivotal role in defence for former team Charlton Athletic and has made 86 appearances for the club. His impressive performances earned him a move to Brentford for a fee just over £2m in the summer.
Unai Emery who is rebuilding the squad at the Emirates has reportedly kept close tabs on the young defender and is hopeful to strike a deal in January. Emery has always spoken about his investment in youth and speaking of which the prime example would be of Matteo Guendouzi who was plying his trade for FC Lorient back the French second division has proven his mettle after joining the Gunners. The 19-year old midfielder has also played for France in their U-20 and U-21 sides. Similarly, Ezri Konsa can be another masterstroke from the Spanish tactician and speaking of their defensive woes which has always been a concern over the past few years a defensive reinforcement is always welcome at the Emirates.
Konsa has featured in 17 matches for Brentford and has even captained the side once despite being such a young prodigy, which also adds another feature of leadership to his cap. The signing of the English centre-back can also be a fruitful one, mostly because of his flexibility to operate as a fullback and also in midfield. The 19-year-old is very versatile and has been more than capable as a fullback and even in midfield for both Brentford and Charlton in the recent past. Something which Unai Emery will appreciate to have as an option for Arsenal, especially when the season is coming to its most crucial phase.
The young defender is London born and has completed his schooling from Newham and a move to Emirates will be a huge stepping stone for his career. If reports are to be believed then Konsa would cost around £15m for Arsenal, considering that he just joined the club back in the summer.
He has also earned plaudits at the international level as he has scored his first goal for England U21 against Andorra U21 in a European Championship qualifier back in October.
The Gunners are heading towards a busy winter transfer window as they are also keen to secure the signature of Belgian winger Leandro Trossard from Genk. The young winger has been on a goalscoring spree netting 15 goals in 18 matches this season for his side. Josy Comhair who is Trossard’s agent also agreed to the speculations and has said to Belgian outlet Sporza that the North London club is interested in his client.
“I contacted representatives from Arsenal and Tottenham,” Comhair said.
“At Spurs, nobody wanted to confirm that Trossard is an option, but Arsenal did. They told me Leandro has a very interesting profile for them and that they have been following him since August.
He ended the conversation on a positive not by saying, “They also added it was a good choice to stay at Genk for another year. They ended the phone call with ‘They are keeping a close eye on him’.”
Well, the Gunners might face tough competition from Spurs too, if their fierce north London rivals actually show an interest in the star. If they are not really keen on signing, it will be a huge win for Emery and co., who are always looking to give young talents the chance to make a name for themselves.
Unai Emery is up for a busy transfer window in January as both Ezri Konsa and Leandro Trossard look to be on the cards and one thing the Spaniard is doing for sure is that he is looking to invest mostly on youth who can make a name for themselves at the Emirates. The team has been doing well in recent times and the former PSG and Sevilla boss has been giving youngsters the right kind of opportunities to showcase their talents, as seen in their recent 3-0 win in the Europa League against Vorskla.
