Arsenal Pursue Ezri Konsa as Villa Eyes Harwood-Bellis
Aston Villa have seen an £18 million offer for Taylor Harwood-Bellis knocked back by Southampton as the Midlands club brace themselves for the departure of Ezri Konsa to Arsenal.
Unai Emery wants defensive reinforcements lined up quickly with Konsa close to sealing a £51m move, plus add-ons, to the Emirates. Harwood-Bellis is one of three names on Villa’s shortlist and the club have now made their move, but Southampton are holding firm on their valuation. Benfica have already tested the water with a £17m bid of their own, which was also rejected, underlining how strong a position the south-coast side feel they are in over the 22-year-old.
Arsenal under fire over Lewis-Skelly saga
While Arsenal work on bringing in Konsa, they are facing criticism over how they have handled one of their brightest academy talents.
Ian Wright has taken aim at his former club for allowing the situation around Myles Lewis-Skelly to spiral into a transfer saga. The teenager has been linked with a summer switch to Manchester United despite making it clear he wants to stay.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wright did not hide his anger.
“I don’t know where that’s coming from because I know for a fact that’s not coming from his team,” he said. “It’s not coming from his mum. Arsenal fans need to chill out with his mum saying that she’s touting him about. Myles has already said he’s happy to say. Why have Arsenal not just said he’s not for sale?
“He’d be a great signing for Manchester United, of course he would. Look what he’s doing.”
For Wright, the issue is simple: Arsenal should have shut the door publicly and early. They still haven’t.
New season, new rules
As the Premier League season approaches, players and coaches will also have to adapt to a fresh batch of laws designed to speed up the game and tighten up discipline.
If play stops for an injury, the affected player must now leave the pitch for at least one minute, up from 30 seconds. The change is aimed at cutting out time-wasting masquerading as treatment.
Second yellow cards can now be checked by VAR, but only in a very specific scenario: when a player has clearly been shown a wrong second yellow. It will not be used to review incidents where a player might have escaped a second booking.
Delays at set-pieces are under the microscope too. A five-second countdown will be used for throw-ins and goal-kicks. If a player drags it out beyond that, the restart is flipped: the throw-in goes to the opposition, or a delayed goal-kick becomes a corner to the other side.
Substitutions are also being tightened up. Players have 10 seconds to leave the field once their number goes up. Take longer, and the incoming substitute must wait until the next stoppage in play after one minute has passed before entering.
Some of the innovations seen at the World Cup, though, will not be coming to England. Matches will not be split into quarters, with hydration breaks only allowed when the temperature at kick-off exceeds 30 degrees Celsius. VAR will not expand to overturn incorrectly awarded corners, and the mistaken use of the “simulation” rule at the World Cup has been clarified: a wrongly given yellow card can only be reviewed to correct mistaken identity, not to overturn the offence itself. The existing three-step discrimination protocol inside stadiums remains in place.
Gyokeres shuts down exit talk
Elsewhere, Viktor Gyokeres has moved to cool speculation over his future and underlined that his focus is firmly on Arsenal.
Linked with Barcelona, the Sweden international told talkSPORT he is not thinking about a move and is instead relishing the start of the new league campaign.
“I’m looking forward a lot, it’s going to be nice to start a league campaign again and to start against my old club,” he said. “It’s a great way to start at home so I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t played against them so of course it’s going to be nice to see a few of them that are still there and meet the fans as well.”
For now, all the noise around him stays just that: noise.
Keane unconvinced by United’s title credentials
At Manchester United, the conversation keeps circling back to the same question: is the midfield good enough to win the league?
Roy Keane doesn’t think so.
The former United captain, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, acknowledged the imminent arrival of Carlos Baleba but argued that the squad still falls short of title-winning quality.
“If you’re on about winning the league, I think it’s short,” he said of United’s midfield. “United’s big problems are still going to be defensively.
“That midfield and going forward, there is a big goal threat at United, they were very good last year with it, especially when Carrick took over they were a real goal threat.
“But the issue is at the back, the full-backs and the two centre-halves are still a big issue. But on paper, they [the midfield] jump out as really good players. But is there a league-winning midfield there? Probably not. No, I don’t see it.”
Keane’s verdict is blunt: goals or not, United’s spine still doesn’t look like that of champions.
Curtis Jones closing in on Inter switch
One player who could be on the move is Curtis Jones. The Liverpool midfielder is expected in Italy today for a medical ahead of a transfer to Inter Milan, according to reports there.
Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Jones has agreed a five-year contract with the Serie A club, who have tabled an offer in the region of £30m. With the 23-year-old into the final year of his Liverpool deal and no progress on an extension, the move to San Siro is gathering pace.
If completed, it would mark the end of a long Anfield association for the homegrown midfielder.
Barcelona forced to pivot in attack
In Spain, Barcelona have been forced to reassess their attacking plans.
Their pursuit of Julian Alvarez has been shelved, with Atletico’s hardline stance pushing sporting director Deco towards other options. Speaking about the need to replace Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Deco laid out the challenge facing the club.
“We’ve lost two players in attack, Lewy and Ferran. I think we have solutions to cover Ferran with the signings we have made. Replacing Robert is much more difficult. It’s really tough to replace a player like him.
“We have some internal solutions, but we have to look [what’s available]. There is a lot of noise. I think there will be more movement, we are still working hard.”
Barcelona know they must get this one right. Finding a credible successor to Lewandowski is no quick fix.
Arsenal push for Konsa as market tightens
Back in the Premier League, Arsenal’s move for Ezri Konsa is edging forward as talks with Aston Villa intensify.
The Gunners want a right-sided defender and have identified the 28-year-old as their preferred option. Long-term injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber mean Mikel Arteta’s defensive options are stretched before a ball has even been kicked. Konsa’s ability to operate both at centre-back and right-back fits perfectly with Arteta’s preference for flexible defenders.
The Athletic report that while the deal is not done, discussions are advancing, with talks at ownership level helping to narrow the gap in valuations. Arsenal have been prepared to go to around £40m, while Villa value Konsa closer to £60m. Personal terms are not expected to be a stumbling block.
If Arsenal get Konsa over the line and Villa manage to land Harwood-Bellis, one transfer will have reshaped the back lines of two ambitious clubs before the season has even started.
