Konsa has a commanding presence, covers the pitch quickly, and has won over supporters with his determined tackling.
After arriving on the first day of the campaign, the centre-back adapted remarkably quickly, with Arteta describing the process as “incredible”.
Arteta noted that Konsa joined a major club such as Arsenal without a pre-season and had to compete with Saliba and other established members of the squad.
He added that establishing himself so naturally, performing at such a high standard, and already developing a strong, balanced partnership with Gabi was extremely difficult, making Arsenal fortunate to have him.
The numbers support Arteta’s assessment.
Konsa recorded the highest pass-completion percentage in the Premier League last season and leads the standings again this term, completing 96% of his 324 attempts.
He also had the best success rate among Premier League outfield players involved in at least 20 ground duels last season and currently occupies 12th place in that category for 2026-27.
Arsenal have recorded five clean sheets across eight matches, the joint-highest total in the Premier League this season.
Konsa arrived only hours before the opening fixture against Coventry and has since started six matches. His debut came as a substitute in the following game against former side Villa after Mosquera suffered an injury.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown pointed out that Saliba and Gabriel had both appeared on the Ballon d’Or shortlist as two of the finest defenders in world football.
Even so, Keown believes Konsa has never been eclipsed by the high-profile teammates playing beside him.
Konsa delivered another excellent display on Saturday, scoring his first Arsenal goal against Everton.
Reflecting on Arsenal’s impressive opening to the campaign, Konsa said he had visited the stadium for many seasons and understood how difficult it was for opponents to face the team, so its strong form did not surprise him.
He added that champions must produce victories consistently and emphasized the team’s ambition to win as many matches as possible at its home ground.
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