Since Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa, they have quickly implemented a higher line in defence, often described as an “offside trap”. The unity of the backline, communication for timing, and recovery pace are all important to successfully implement this principle effectively.
Last season, Villa conceded 61 goals in the Premier League, 15 more than they conceded in the 2022/23 season, which started under the management of Steven Gerrard, before being taken over by Emery.
One of Villa’s most important defenders was new signing Pau Torres, who made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and contributing to ten clean sheets in his 3,211 minutes played.
That said, he’s been joined in the backline by a player whose stock is now rising significantly, particularly after an impressive cameo at Euro 2024.
How much Villa signed Ezri Konsa for
Ezri Konsa was signed for £12m from Brentford back in 2019, with Dean Smith considering the 21-year-old at the time a key target due to his “high potential“.
Konsa made 47 appearances for Brentford, scoring one goal and contributing to 12 clean sheets in his 4,173 minutes played.
Smith happened to be in charge at Brentford during the 2018/19 season, before being sacked in October, which saw the ever-impressive Thomas Frank take charge. However, this short time working with Konsa was enough to convince him of his talent, bringing him to Villa a year later and subsequently hailing him as a “a Rolls-Royce of a player”.
Since joining Villa, Konsa has gone from strength to strength, making 191 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing two assists while playing in a few different positions, chiefly at centre-back and right-back.
Ezri Konsa’s transfer value in 2024
When joining the club back in 2019, Transfermarkt only valued Konsa at a measly £3m, despite being signed for a £12m fee at only 21 years of age.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the worldwide astronomical rises and falls of player transfer values.
191 Aston Villa appearances later, plus breaking into the England squad, competing at the Euros, and achieving eight caps so far for his country, Konsa’s value has risen significantly according to Football Transfers, now valued at £33m.
Konsa vs Torres vs Carlos comparison | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | Konsa | Torres | Carlos |
Passes Attempted | 63.9 | 66.4 | 68.6 |
Pass Completion % | 91.9% | 87.4% | 89.3% |
Progressive Carries | 1.10 | 1.60 | 0.19 |
Progressive Passes | 3.97 | 4.85 | 2.98 |
Passes into Final Third | 4.02 | 5.43 | 3.84 |
Passes into Pen Area | 0.39 | 0.37 | 0.23 |
Tackles | 1.46 | 1.01 | 1.24 |
Interceptions | 0.70 | 0.50 | 0.48 |
Aerials Won | 0.94 | 0.89 | 1.20 |
Stats taken from FBref | |||
Compared to Villa’s other central defenders, Konsa ranks best for defensive actions per 90, averaging 1.46 tackles compared to the 1.01 per 90 of Torres, and the 1.24 per 90 of Carlos. He also averages 0.70 interceptions per 90, more than both of his main competitors for a starting berth.
Konsa also proves to be the most secure on the ball, with the highest pass completion of the trio. However, Torres is the more progressive of the three, averaging 4.85 progressive passes per 90, and 5.43 passes into the final third on average.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Carlos only betters Torres and Konsa in one of the metrics analysed, and that is aerials won, winning 1.20 per 90, compared to the 0.94 of Konsa, and 0.89 of Torres.
As Konsa continues to go from strength to strength, it is obvious why his value continues to peak, especially since making the England squad, and competing in European football with Villa, further showcasing his qualties on and off the ball.
