For so long, consistency has been the basis of Aston Villa‘s success under Unai Emery.
While their Premier League rivals ripped things up and started again almost every summer, the Villans carefully went about their business, keeping the core of the team together for so long.
That all finally came to an end this time around, however, with so many long-serving talents having flown the nest, including 2020 arrivals, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez.
It also proved the time to move for a man who had arrived a year earlier, in the form of Ezri Konsa, with Villa having hit the jackpot with the Englishman’s signing.
How Villa played a blinder with Ezri Konsa signing
The ongoing Manchester City saga has provided an apt time for reflection on what has unfolded over the last decade or so in the Premier League.
How fitting that Villa claimed Europa League glory back in May, ten years on from the club slipping back into the Championship following Remi Garde’s brief, dismal spell in charge.
Promotion was secured three years later, with the Midlands side still reaping the rewards of the signings they made in that summer of 2019, be it in the form of Tyrone Mings or the aforementioned Konsa.
In Konsa’s case, the 21-year-old was snapped up by Dean Smith following their prior stint together at Brentford, with Villa forking out a fee of around £12m to bring him into the Premier League.
The rest, as they say, is history, with the versatile defender proving such a dependable, consistent figure under the likes of Smith, Steven Gerrard and Emery, seemingly just as comfortable at right-back as he was in his preferred centre-back role.
Part of the squad that saw off Freiburg earlier this year, Konsa bowed out that night having made 286 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 12 goals.
|
Villa – Europa League Final XI |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
Current Club |
|
GK |
Martinez |
Chelsea |
|
RB |
Cash |
Villa |
|
CB |
Konsa |
Arsenal |
|
CB |
Torres |
Villa |
|
LB |
Digne |
PSG |
|
DM |
Lindelof |
Villa |
|
DM |
Tielemans |
Man Utd |
|
RM |
McGinn |
Villa |
|
AM |
Rogers |
Chelsea |
|
LM |
Buendia |
Villa |
|
ST |
Watkins |
Al-Hilal |
From a business perspective too, his £12m signing proved something of a steal in the end, with Arsenal forking out £50m to take him to the Emirates this summer.
It’s the kind of signing that Villa will hope to repeat again soon enough – or rather, perhaps they already have.
Why Emery could unleash the new Konsa
In the wake of Konsa’s departure to the Emirates, Villa have largely been left with an experienced, yet ageing crop of centre-backs this season.
Indeed, in the absence of 29-year-old Spaniard, Pau Torres, Emery’s men lined up with Victor Lindelof and that man Mings at the back against Tottenham Hotspur, with new signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis watching on in reserve.
Harwood-Bellis, the son-in-law of a certain Roy Keane, will be hoping to force his way into the starting lineup soon enough, although he isn’t the only new arrival waiting in the wings.
Indeed, this summer saw Senegalese defender, Modou Keba Cisse make his belated move to Villa Park, the 6 foot 3 sensation having originally struck a deal back in July 2025.
Snapped up for a fee of around £4m from Austrian side LASK, Cisse stayed with the club for the 2025/26 campaign, playing a vital role as they claimed a league and cup double.
In total during his time in Linz, the young defender made 45 appearances in all competitions at first-team level, chipping in with four goals and three assists.
Still only 21, just as Konsa was when he made the move seven years ago, Cisse also mirrors the Englishman in terms of his versatility, having also featured in defensive midfield on occasion in the past.
A highly-rated talent, it was revealed that Villa had beaten the City Football Group to his signature a year ago, with the youngster since featuring in pre-season under Emery’s watch this summer.
He was subsequently part of the matchday squad for the UEFA Super Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain, remaining an unused substitute, yet he hasn’t been involved since in the Premier League or Carabao Cup due to injury.
He’s still waiting to make a first competitive appearance for Villa, but his chance should come soon enough, having been hailed as a “really exciting” talent by U23 scout, Antonio Mango.
The 21-year-old was arguably LASK’s “most consistent defender” last term, in Mango’s view, lining up in all three roles in the Austrian side’s three-man defence.
He needs time to get fully fit and match fit at that, yet with Konsa having left a sizeable void at Villa Park, young Cisse might soon be the man to fill it.