Arsenal make Ben White decision after Ezri Konsa agreement

19 Aug 2026 17:05 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Arsenal have agreed a deal with Aston Villa for the signing of Ezri Konsa in a move that could have major ramifications for the future of Ben White.

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Although it took them longer than they would have liked, the Gunners have now secured their top defensive target. With Jurrien Timber and William Saliba facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, strengthening the defence was a priority for Mikel Arteta.

According to The Athletic, a deal worth around €60 million has been struck with Villa, and Konsa will undergo his medical on Thursday. Data analytics firm SciSports believes that he is a great fit for Arsenal, so this looks a great deal for the reigning Premier League champions.

Compared

Ezri Konsa

D (C)

A. Villa

Ezri Konsa

D (C)

A. Villa

VS

Ben White

D (R)

Arsenal

Ben White

D (R)

Arsenal

€35.7M	ETV	€27.9M
€32.1M - €39.3M	ETV Range	€25.1M - €30.7M
28 years old (23 Oct, 1997)	Age	28 years old (08 Oct, 1997)
England	Nationality	England

The signing of the 28-year-old will raise questions over the future of Ben White, who was already on the fringes last season until Timber's injury problems offered him an opportunity to get regular minutes.

On the face of it, Konsa joins to replace Saliba, who is likely to miss several months of action. White, on the other hand, is Arsenal's starting right-back in the absence of Timber. However, the appeal of Konsa is that he is also capable of playing on the right, and with Timber set to return in a few weeks, this transfer could spell doom for White.

Arsenal make White decision

Heading into the summer, there was an expectation that White would consider a departure from Arsenal in order to secure a regular starting job elsewhere. It was believed that there would be significant Premier League interest in his services.

While there are certainly more or less strong suitors for the 28-year-old, a departure has not become as concrete as anticipated. In fact, White has never looked particularly close to an exit from Arsenal at any point this summer.

And according to TEAMtalk, the arrival of Konsa won't necessarily change that. Arsenal have decided that they don't want to lose White, and the new recruit is not seen as a direct replacement.

Everton are among his premier domestic suitors as they desperately search for a new right-back, but Arteta's stance is very clear: he wants White to stay to provide depth and competition.

The former Leeds and Brighton star started at right-back in Arsenal's Community Shield beatdown of Man City, while Cristhian Mosquera played alongside Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of defence.

Given that Konsa is more comfortable at centre-back than at right-back, his signing could be bad news for Mosquera, rather than White. There were previous suggestions, although not particularly credible ones, that the Gunners could consider a loan move for the Spaniard this summer.

This seems unlikely at this stage, but the situation could be one to keep an eye on if Konsa indeed comes in to take his place. As for White, he is poised to stay and surely keen to impress in the absence of Timber.