Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal are active in the transfer market for a defender amid reports linking the club with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
LONDON: Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal want to sign a defender and are “active” in the transfer market after reports the Premier League champions have agreed to a deal for Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa.
Arteta has been chasing a defender since the end of last season and appears set to land England star Konsa.
The Gunners had a bid for Konsa rejected earlier in the transfer window and briefly switched their attention to Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah.
But having improved their offer for Konsa to around £50 million ($68 million), Arsenal are reportedly on the brink of sealing a deal for the 28-year-old.
With William Saliba sidelined for an “extended period” by a back problem and Jurrien Timber recovering from a groin injury, Konsa would slot into the heart of Arsenal’s defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Well, we are really active in the market. I think that I mentioned a few days ago, the ambition is to improve the squad,” Arteta told reporters on Thursday.
“Obviously, we have a specific issue in the background. Especially with the long term injury in Saliba, the fact that we miss one more defender, that’s clear. We are trying to reinforce that area and whenever we are ready we will announce something.
“I am always positive, I am always confident. But it is something I cannot control. It doesn’t just depend on us.”
If the transfer is finalised, Konsa will follow Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie and Illan Meslier in joining Arsenal since the end of last term.
Those additions make Arteta’s team even stronger as they aim to win the club’s first back-to-back titles since the 1930s.
The north Londoners open their title defence at home to promoted Coventry on Friday and Arteta challenged his players to prove they deserve to be ranked alongside the Premier League’s greatest ever sides.
‘Hungrier than ever’
“Those teams have an incredible quality, which is to maintain the standards daily at the really highest level. This is the opportunity that we have,” he said.
“I have no questions that our players have the desire and the ambition to do that. Now it is something we have to earn and do daily.”
Arsenal already have a trophy this season after routing Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield on Sunday.
It was a significant statement of intent to Arsenal’s rivals that they are determined to extend their reign as the Premier League’s preeminent force.
“I feel good, different, hopefully better. I’m more excited than ever, hungrier than ever,” Arteta said.
“What we need to show is that this desire and ambition is to be better than last season, a month ago or last week when we played Manchester City.
“I sense the enthusiasm around the place and that’s exactly what I want.”
Arteta insisted Myles Lewis-Skelly would “100 percent” still be at Arsenal when the transfer window closes after the versatile teenager was linked with Manchester United and Chelsea.
Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri are reported to be keen on moves in search of more regular playing time.
But Arteta would prefer to retain a large squad to cope with the demands of competing in four competitions.
“I would like to have the squad as big as possible because we know what we are fighting for, how long this is,” he said.
“I have learnt from last year when we got in some difficulty, especially when we have two or three injuries in the same area.
“But the players have to feel important and valued. In order to do that, they need minutes.”
