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Ezri Konsa's Arsenal dream faces Bayern test

Errol MayfieldPublished just now3 min readBased on 16 sources
Ezri Konsa's Arsenal dream faces Bayern test
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Ezri Konsa grew up in Arsenal shirts. Now he wears one into the biggest week of the season.

Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening for a Champions League league phase tie at the Allianz Arena. UEFA lists the fixture for 21 October 2026 UEFA. For Konsa, it is personal.

The defender says he supported Arsenal as a boy and owned many of the club's kits growing up. He completed a £51m move from Aston Villa in August, on a four-year deal, joining the reigning Premier League champions The Guardian.

He is living it quickly. Konsa made his Arsenal debut as a substitute against his old club Villa. Since then he has played every minute of Arsenal's Premier League and Champions League matches. That run has come with William Saliba injured.

His close friend Eberechi Eze has walked a similar path. Eze is another boyhood Arsenal fan who ended up in red and white.

Konsa earned his place in Arsenal hearts on Saturday. Arsenal won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. It was their 10th win in 11 matches this season. It was also a clean sheet, football speak for conceding no goals.

The moment came in the 93rd minute. Forest striker Liam Delap lined up a shot with Arsenal leading 1-0. Konsa threw himself in to block it. Three points saved.

It mattered more at the City Ground. Arsenal had drawn 0-0 there in each of the previous two seasons. This time they found a way through and then held on.

Now comes Bayern. Arsenal beat Lille 3-0 on 13 October in Europe. Last season they beat Bayern 3-1 at home in November, their first win over the German side in a decade and a result that ended Bayern's unbeaten start in the competition Reuters.

Waiting in Munich is Harry Kane. The England captain joined Bayern from Tottenham in 2023. He had scored 155 goals in 157 appearances ahead of this meeting.

Konsa knows him well. He has faced Kane seven times, six of them for Villa against Spurs. In October 2024 he was in the Villa side that beat Kane's Bayern 1-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League.

What makes this stand out is how fast the story has turned. Two months ago Konsa was a Villa player. Now a boyhood fan is blocking last-minute shots and preparing to face one of the deadliest strikers in the world with Arsenal top of the rhythm.

For fans, this means a simple thing. Ninety minutes in Munich, with a new defender who understands exactly what the badge meant to him as a kid.

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