Arsenal had already been planning for defensive reinforcements this summer.
Jurrien Timber has been managing a groin injury that kept him out of the World Cup entirely.
Ben White was up for sale, but that may not be the case anymore.
As good a pickup as Cristhian Mosquera was for £13million, it’s unclear whether Mikel Arteta quite fully trusts him at centre-back.
Then came the William Saliba news.
L’Equipe report that Saliba will have surgery on his back problem, with Arsenal anticipating he will miss four to five months of action.
He played through the pain barrier for months, taking strong painkillers and managing his condition through a light training programme.
If you could only pick one of William Saliba and Gabriel to stay at Arsenal forever, who are YOU picking and why?
But his body finally gave out during France’s semi-final defeat to Spain. He told his centre-back partner Dayot Upamecano his back was “dead.”
Now he won’t be available for the start of Arsenal’s Premier League title defence.
It’s clear that Arteta wants to make sure the level doesn’t drop without key players.
Noni Madueke was brought in to fill in for Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal manager intends to provide a similar level of protection for Declan Rice with Bruno Guimaraes.
Now they need someone to cover for Saliba, and it’s suddenly top of the priority list.
Arsenal transfer links to Ezri Konsa suddenly make more sense
Arsenal were already monitoring Ezri Konsa before the Saliba update, suggesting they may have already anticipated the Frenchman to miss a chunk of the season.
Arteta is understood to be driving the club’s interest in the 28-year-old, who Aston Villa value at £60million.
Arsenal’s valuation is closer to £35million, however, so it seemed unlikely the Gunners were going to push through with that one.
But that may now have changed. Konsa is a consistent, Premier League-proven centre-back who can also operate at right-back, as he demonstrated during England’s quarter-final win over Norway.
With two years left on his contract, Villa may be tempted to cash in this summer while his value is high, and he is exactly the kind of experienced cover Arsenal now urgently need.
Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong has been suggested as a longer-term defensive solution, but as exciting as he is, he is still raw and unproven.
Defending a league title, Arteta will want someone who can come in and do a job immediately.
However, Villa have already lost Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans this summer, and now have Amadou Onana out with a lengthy injury.
With Champions League football to come, Unai Emery will surely not want to lose any more key players.
And Arsenal already want to lure Morgan Rogers away from Villa Park. Can they really get both this summer?
But with Saliba facing months on the sidelines, Arsenal may have little choice but to try.
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