Ezri Konsa says the summer arrivals at Aston Villa have settled in well and are looking good in training. Having earned promotion to the Premier League last season by beating Derby County 2-1 in the play-off final at Wembley, Villa boss Dean Smith were extremely busy during the summer transfer window, bringing in no less than 12 players.
Eager to strengthen his options at the back, the 48-year-old Englishman brought in centre-back’s Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Bjorn Engels and Kortney Hause, while left-back Matt Targett joined from Southampton for around £13million.
Forward Wesley and defensive midfielder Marvelous Nakamba both arrived from Club Brugge before goalkeeper Tom Heaton was snapped up from fellow Premier League outfit Burnley for around £8m.
Midfielder Douglas Luiz made the switch from defending Premier League champions Manchester City, while winger’s Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Jota bolstered the attacking options for the Villans.
Villa spent in excess of £100m on the 12 recruits and six of those players started the season-opening 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, while three more were named on the bench.
England Under-21 international Konsa, who made 42 Championship appearances for Brentford last season, was among the substitutes but he was not brought on by Smith, who opted for Engels and Mings as his centre-back pairing.
The 21-year-old, who started his career out at Charlton Athletic, will be doing all he can to impress in training and earn a starting spot for the clash at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.
With so many new recruits at Villa Park, Smith admits it may take time for all of them to settle and has called for patience from the fans, who will be hoping for a successful campaign back in the top flight.
Konsa appears to be enjoying himself in his new surroundings but, when asked who out of the new arrivals has impressed him the most, he revealed there is not just one player that has looked good. “I don’t think I can pick just one,” he told the club’s official website.
“The spirit and mood in the camp is good. The effort to ensure training every day is top quality is there.”
Smith could decide to hand a debut to Targett, who was an unused sub against Spurs, while Luiz is pushing for a full debut after coming off the bench late on.
Jonathan Kodjia, who scored nine Championship goals last season, is also hoping to be recalled to the starting XI after being dropped in favour of new recruit Wesley.
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