Arsenal summer signing has given Mikel Arteta a ‘headache’, says Emmanuel Petit

Arsenal hero Emmanuel Petit says he has been ‘really impressed’ by Ezri Konsa’s form this season and believes the defender has given Mikel Arteta a potential selection ‘headache’ ahead of William Saliba’s return.

The Gunners made it clear they were keen to further strengthen their backline after signing Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis from Bayer Leverkusen – following an initial loan move – in the summer.

A host of high-profile centre-backs were linked before the reigning Premier League champions honed in on a £51million deal with Aston Villa for Konsa.

Konsa helped Villa end their 44-year wait for a European trophy last season and arrived at the Emirates on the back of an impressive World Cup campaign with England.

The 28-year-old will have known he was in for a battle to secure regular minutes in north London, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba considered to be among the finest centre-back partnerships on the planet.

However, Saliba’s absence through injury has seen Konsa play an integral role in the opening two months of the season and the early signs suggest Arteta views the England international as something far more than just a squad player.

This evening, Konsa could be in for his toughest test yet in an Arsenal shirt as Arteta’s men prepare to take on Bayern Munich in a mouthwatering Champions League contest at the Allianz Arena.

The former Villa man will no doubt be desperate to put in a strong performance against Harry Kane and Co in what promises to be a compelling group-stage clash, with Saliba understood to be closing in on his return.

‘This is a good thing for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. You’re used to that when you’ve played for big clubs,’ Petit told Betfred when asked for his thoughts on the competition between the two centre-backs.

‘You can’t survive on just doing great things in the past, you need to do that every single week.

‘I know it’s almost impossible to play well every single week, but if you can’t do that regularly, then that’s why you don’t play for top clubs. 

‘I’ve been really impressed with Konsa and when Saliba returns, it will be a headache for Arteta, but this is a good thing for the club and this is what we call competition.

‘This is what happens when you’re top players and a top club.’

Petit, who won the Premier League title with Arsenal in 1998, is adamant that fierce competition across all areas of the squad can only be healthy for the club going forward.

‘Players need to rise to the next level mentally and you need competition in every single position,’ the Frenchman added.

‘Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard know they need to keep playing at the highest level or they’ll lose their place. This is what it is.’

After his side were edged out by Arsenal last weekend, Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner labelled Gabriel and Konsa as the finest centre-back pairing in world football on current form.

‘That’s a great opinion!’ Arteta joked in response to Glasner’s glowing praise.

‘For me, my players are the best in the world, and I think the partnership that they have developed in such a short period of time is remarkable.

‘Credit to both of them, credit to the rest of the team as well. But I think on Sunday, both of them, specifically in key moments, they were exceptional.’

Saliba has been slowly working his way back to full match fitness having been forced off with a back problem in France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain in July.

The 25-year-old, who has been named in the PFA Team of the Year on four occasions, began running again for the first time last month and is understood to be targeting a return to action before the end of November.

‘He knows he has to take his time,’ Saliba’s entourage recently told French newspaper L’Equipe.

‘He’s suffered too much and wants to come back at 100 per cent.’

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