Noni Madueke has revealed the role he played in Ezri Konsa joining Arsenal, describing the England defender as a 'great player' and a 'great addition' for the club.
Konsa was unveiled to Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium last week after completing a £55m move from Aston Villa. The 28-year-old, who was part of Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad, signed a four-year deal with the Premier League champions.
Mikel Arteta's summer signing could make his debut on Monday night when Arsenal visit his former club Aston Villa.
Madueke's role in the transfer
Madueke, who plays alongside Konsa for England, said he encouraged the defender to make the move before he signed.
'Ezri is a great friend of mine first and foremost,' Madueke told Arsenal's official website. 'We've played with each other for England now for a couple of years.
'I'm delighted that he's here, he's a great player and I know he's going to be a great addition, not only to the team but around the building. I can't wait to see what we're going to achieve together.
'You know that you're fighting for places every week, on a game-to-game basis. You know that you've got an amazing squad that has the ability to fight on all front.
'We've got a squad full of internationals, top players, and that's exactly what we need.
'It's a great club, a great environment and I was saying [to Ezri Konsa] before he signed, it's the best place that he could've chosen.'
Title defence and Villa threat
Arsenal began their title defence with a 3-0 win over Coventry City last week. Madueke said the squad is relaxed and motivated to repeat last season's success.
'I feel like everyone's [more free], everyone's more relaxed, it's good,' Madueke said ahead of Arsenal's trip to Villa Park. 'We definitely have the feeling, obviously it was great to win the league after 22 years, it's some feat.
'We're back here with the same mindset to go and do it again, and even to improve on what we did last year.
'[City] beat us twice last season, so it was a great feeling to beat them and win the first trophy of the season, it sets the tone.
'Then the atmosphere against Coventry was great. I think there's an extra buzz around the place now that we're champions.
'It was a great performance from us as well, a great start to the season, so all in all, I think everyone's really happy at the moment and the mood's really good.'
Aston Villa have sold several key players this summer, including Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Konsa. Unai Emery's side lost 4-0 to Brighton on the opening weekend, but Madueke remains cautious.
'Any Unai Emery team, you've got to be aware of,' Madueke added. 'He's a great manager and what he's done over at Villa Park over the last three or four years has been amazing.
'Of course, we know that they're a very dangerous team, especially at home, but we'll be prepared. We'll focus on ourselves and we'll have full confidence that we can win the game.'
Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2-1 in this fixture last season before losing 4-1 in the reverse game at the Emirates Stadium.
