Aston Villa confirm new Ezri Konsa contract

Aston Villa have announced that they have negotiated a new long-term contract with defender Ezri Konsa.

Upon securing a return to the Premier League in 2019, Villa committed to spending £12m on the Brentford defender, who had no experience of top-flight football.

However, Konsa has developed into one of Villa's key players during his stay in the West Midlands, making a total of 140 starts and five substitute outings in all competitions.

Although the 25-year-old was signed by a manager in Dean Smith who he had worked with at Brentford, the former England Under-21 international has flourished since Unai Emery arrived in the autumn.

Under a combination of Steven Gerrard and the Spaniard, Konsa featured in every Premier League fixture during 2022-23, his only substitute outing coming on the second weekend of the campaign.

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Villa ultimately qualified for the Europa Conference League through their seventh-placed finish in the top flight, and Konsa has since started every game of the new season.

While Konsa was on a contract which was due to run until 2026, Villa have now confirmed reports that fresh terms have now been formally signed.

Speaking to the club's official website, Konsa said: "I'm really delighted. It's been a good journey so far and I'm just delighted to be able to continue my journey here.

"I'm really enjoying my football at the moment, I feel like I'm really thriving under the boss and the project is really good. I'm just really, really excited to see what the future holds."

Konsa is currently preparing for Villa's opening group-stage fixture in the Europa Conference League with Emery's side taking on Legia Warsaw in Poland on Thursday evening.