Forget Odegaard: Konsa is an Absolute Rolls-Royce Amid Insane Passing Stat

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He has been a huge player for Arsenal in the absence of the injured William Saliba

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will hog the headlines after another standout 2026-27 performance and winning goal in the Champions League against Napoli on Wednesday night, but Ezri Konsa was just as good.

It felt at one stage that the Gunners could pay the price for their poor finishing on the night and return to London with a draw, before Odegaard's brilliant left-footed finish from the edge of the penalty area 15 minutes from time proved to be the decisive goal.

After 26 shots on the night, it was the least Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal players deserved, and it continued their fine start to the campaign that has seen them only concede one goal in all competitions this term.

There would have been some big concerns when William Saliba suffered a serious injury while playing for France during the summer, which will leave him on the sidelines for months, and Arteta knew he had to find the right replacement for the 25-year-old.

The Spanish manager decided he had to source that player externally, and quickly made Aston Villa's Konsa his number one target.

The north London outfit didn't get the deal over the line for Konsa until August 21, paying an initial £51m fee that could rise to £55m in total.

Konsa is 28 years of age and even if anyone had any doubts over the fee paid for the England international, he has immediately proved his doubters wrong.

Konsa has only played 191 minutes in an Arsenal shirt, but he looked like he'd been playing for the club alongside Gabriel for years based on his performance in Naples on Wednesday night, and looked a Champions League veteran performer.

Based on what we've seen from him so far, it is a mystery that other top Premier League clubs didn't take a look at the 28-year-old, especially when you see the goals against record for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea so far this term.

It was the Gunners who secured his signature though, with a move to London the player's preference, and he hasn't looked back since making the switch to the Emirates three weeks ago.

One insane Konsa stat emerged post-match after the win against Napoli, with the centre-back only misplacing two of the 106 passes he has attempted for the club.

We all know that Konsa is calm and composed on the ball, but the accuracy of his passing is so impressive and he has brought a further solidity to an Arsenal defence that was already the strongest in the Premier League, and arguably across the whole of Europe too.

Konsa Stats vs Napoli

- Minutes: 90 - Touches: 67 - Passes completed: 54/54 - Defensive contributions: 4 - Recoveries: 4 - Duels won: 3/4

Konsa is an absolute Rolls-Royce and he continues at the current rate, Saliba will actually face a fight to win his spot back when he returns to full fitness.

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