Ezri Konsa says joining Arsenal has been a dream come true, as the defender continues to make an impressive start following his £51 million move from Aston Villa.

The 28-year-old has quickly established himself, playing every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League matches since making his debut as a substitute against his former club, Villa.

His adaptation has been particularly important following William Saliba’s injury, with Konsa helping Arsenal maintain their defensive solidity during a demanding run of fixtures.

Konsa underlined his growing influence on Sunday with a crucial late intervention against Nottingham Forest. With Arsenal leading 1-0 and 93 minutes on the clock, Forest striker Liam Delap broke into the inside-left channel in search of an equaliser.

Konsa tracked back, matched Delap’s pace and executed a perfectly timed block tackle to deny the forward and preserve Arsenal’s lead.

The victory extended Arsenal’s impressive run to 10 wins in 11 matches this season and secured another clean sheet.

For Konsa, the moment was especially satisfying because of his childhood allegiance to the north London club.

“I’ve been asked this a lot,” he said with a smile when asked about supporting Arsenal as a boy. “And, yes, I was. I had a lot of Arsenal kits when I was younger.

“You dream of playing for big clubs like this. When you’re a kid, you see the likes of Arsenal, growing up, and the amount of quality players they’ve had throughout the years. To be here — and not only to be here but to be here with close friends — makes it even more special.”

Among those friends is Eberechi Eze, another boyhood Arsenal supporter with whom Konsa shares a close bond. Their friendship was evident in footage of Eze welcoming Konsa to the training ground after his arrival from Villa, with the pair laughing before embracing.

Konsa has also benefited from his familiarity with several Arsenal teammates through their involvement with the England national team, including Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White.

He credits their support with helping him settle into his new surroundings.

Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest was particularly significant because the club had drawn 0-0 there in each of the previous two seasons. Although the performance lacked attacking fluency, the result reinforced the team’s ability to grind out victories in difficult away fixtures.

“We hadn’t won here in two seasons; the boss was going on about it,” Konsa said.

“It’s something we wanted to change as players, and these are the games you have to win. If you want to win titles, you have to come away to tough places like this and get three points.”
Arsenal now face another major test when they travel to Germany to meet Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The match will bring Konsa up against England captain Harry Kane, who has enjoyed a prolific spell since joining Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.

Kane has scored 155 goals in 157 appearances for the German club, but Konsa has enjoyed a relatively strong record against teams featuring the striker.

The defender has faced Kane seven times, including six meetings when Konsa played for Aston Villa against Tottenham. Their most recent encounter came in October 2024, when Villa defeated Bayern 1-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League.

That victory was particularly memorable for Villa, marking their first home match in the competition in 41 years.

Konsa has won four of his seven meetings against Kane’s teams and lost three, while the England captain has scored only twice against him, both goals coming from penalties.

Recalling Villa’s victory over Bayern, Konsa said: “To beat them at home and keep a clean sheet … it was very special for the players and the fans.”

Although he admitted that he does not pay much attention to individual head-to-head statistics, Konsa said he was looking forward to the challenge of facing Kane again.

“I don’t really look much at those kinds of stats against individual players, but I am relishing the challenge,” he added.