Aston Villa podcaster Andy Bates has been sharing his thoughts on Villa defender Ezri Konsa, including his current run of form for the club and what the future could hold for him.
This comes after Bates recently hosted the latest episode of Villa-themed podcast Gather ‘Round The Lamp, where he spoke about a number of topics concerning Dean Smith’s side.
On the subject of Konsa, Bates had this to say about the defender.
He said: “I think the thing I really like about him is he always looks angry; he always looks miserable and that’s a great thing. He’s never resting, he’s always tuned in.
“[Tyrone] Mings is the top dog in terms of, perhaps, the organisation side, but I think Konsa, on talent and ability, is probably ahead of Mings in that respect and they just make a wonderful partnership, you never feel like you’re going to get caught out as such with either of those two.
“He is just going to get better and better if he can stay injury-free and he can keep progressing and keep his head level as well, I think that’s important.
“I certainly hope we get him tied down to a contract, because I could very easily see Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool coming in and just whisking him away.”
Villa signed Konsa back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Championship side Brentford for a fee of £11.97 million.
Since then, the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8 million, has made 56 appearances for Villa across all competitions, prior to their Premier League match against Newcastle United, in which he has managed to score four goals and provide two assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Andy Bates’ comments on Konsa…
Given how Konsa has played in all but two of Villa’s Premier League games so far this season, this shows just how much of an important figure the defender is for Smith.
Who is the better defender?
Ezri Konsa
Tyrone Mings
Also, with Konsa having made more blocks per game (1.3) than any other Villa player this season, as well as 3.9 clearances per game with only Mings (4.8) and Kortney Hause (6.5) having made more, this shows just how strong Konsa has been for the team (per WhoScored).
Moving forward, if Konsa can keep progressing with Villa and improving his game, there’s every possibility that what Bates said could come true and some other clubs could look to sign the defender.