Ezri Konsa is determined to help Arsenal end their Champions League hoodoo as he prepares to face Harry Kane's Bayern Munich on Wednesday, with the defender eager to add more silverware to his collection.
The Gunners centre-back, who joined from Aston Villa in the summer for £55m, has already made an impression at the Emirates, helping Arsenal keep four clean sheets in their first seven Premier League games.
Boyhood Dream Realised
Konsa grew up as an Arsenal fan and says joining the club has been a dream come true, especially as he is surrounded by close friends including Eberechi Eze, who greeted him on his arrival at the training ground.
Asked if he grew up supporting Arsenal, Konsa said: "I've been asked this a lot! Yes, I was. I had a lot of Arsenal kits when I was younger. It's been posted everywhere, so … To answer that question, yes I was."
He added: "Of course, man. You dream of playing for big clubs like this. When you're a kid, you see the likes of Arsenal, growing up, and the amount of quality players they've had throughout the years and to be here, and not only to be here but to be here with close friends makes it even more special."
Forming a Formidable Partnership
Konsa has formed a strong partnership with Gabriel in the absence of the injured William Saliba, and his performance against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, including a late challenge on Liam Delap, has helped him settle in quickly.
Reflecting on the tackle, Konsa said: "As a centre-back, I look forward to playing against the best. In the Premier League, every striker's got their own qualities and are really good. Liam Delap was good at times, held up the ball well and is a very physical striker. I relish those challenges, the last-ditch tackles, I've done it a few times before.
"Look, it's a good tackle but sometimes you get caught out of position, and you have to recover and make that kind of tackle. In hindsight, I could be in a better position to avoid those sort of challenges but always nice when it pulls off."
He added: "Everyone knows about Arsenal's record last season and how good they are at keeping clean sheets. It's something that I wanted to do, to continue. One of the reasons I joined the club was to carry on keeping clean sheets. We're doing all right so far. So long may it continue."
Champions League Ambition
Arsenal won the Premier League title last season but lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout. Konsa, who won the Europa League with Villa last season, is now eyeing the continent's top prize.
He said: "That's the plan. When I came here, I wanted to win. I was hungry to win. Last season I got my hands on the Europa League and this season I want more."
On facing Bayern and Kane, Konsa said: "Bayern have got a great team. We know how tough it's going to be, going away to the Allianz but we'll be ready. Harry's a striker who can drop deep, go into midfield, he can drag you around and can assist, he can score, he has all the qualities a top striker needs. We know it's going to be a tough game.
"I played against him when he was at Bayern two seasons ago in the Champions League. We won. I don't really look much at those kind of stats but I'm relishing the challenge.
"The boys went all the way last season, just couldn't get it over the line, lost in a penalty shoot-out. As players, the standards we have, the goals we have… we want to win everything, we want to win the Champions League. The Prem. We want to win whatever trophies are in front of us. As players, that's something we are going to strive towards and hopefully we can win a few titles this season."
