Arsenal readies fresh bid for Konsa as Saliba and Timber sidelined

Arsenal faces a defensive crisis. As we reported, William Saliba is out with his World Cup back injury, and Mikel Arteta has now confirmed in his press conference that the French centre-back will need "time to heal", starting with two weeks of complete rest. Meanwhile, Jürriën Timber is "still weeks away" from returning to action following his groin problem, according to The Guardian.

To address the defensive emergency, Arsenal is preparing a fresh bid for Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa. Villa value the 28-year-old England defender at £60m, but the Gunners are unwilling to pay that fee with less than two years remaining on his contract. Arteta has also shown interest in Cristian Romero from Tottenham, though such a move is "extremely unlikely" given Spurs' reluctance to sell to their North London rivals.

Arteta stressed that the squad must improve with the players currently available. Against Dortmund in the Emirates Cup, Arsenal fielded Cristhian Mosquera alongside Gabriel Magalhães in defence, but conceded three goals in a display that the manager criticized for defensive lapses.