LONDON (AP) — Arsenal bolstered its already-strong defense by signing England international Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa on Friday, hours before starting its bid to retain the Premier League title.
Konsa, who played for England at the World Cup at both center back and right back, moves to the defending champion in a deal worth 55 million pounds ($75 million) and on a four-year deal, The Athletic reported.
Arsenal wanted to strengthen its defensive options because of a long-term injury to center back William Saliba and concerns over the fitness of right back Jurrien Timber.
Mikel Arteta's team has the best defense in the Premier League, conceding 27 goals in 38 games in its title-winning campaign last season.
Arsenal begins the new league on Friday against Coventry.
The 28-year-old Konsa has been at Villa since 2019.
With center midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and winger Christos Tzolis also joining this offseason, Arsenal has strength in depth in almost every position for its Premier League title defense and bid to win the Champions League after reaching the final last season.
Guimaraes, Tzolis and Konsa are like-for-like replacements for Christian Norgaard, Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior, who have all left the Gunners.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who played for Congo at the World Cup, has joined Villa from West Ham on a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
Wan-Bissaka was previously at Crystal Palace and Manchester United.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
FILE - England's Ezri Konsa (2) controls the ball between Panama's Jose Fajardo (17) and Panama's Cristian Martinez (6) during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — George Russell took the fight to his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli on Friday, qualifying on pole position for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned from its midseason break.
Russell snatched top spot by 0.041 of a second from McLaren's Lando Norris, winner of the last race in Hungary, with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, 0.014 further back.
Standings leader Antonelli was fifth and revealed he'd been struggling with damage from a bumpy ride across a gravel trap in the first part of the session. The damage was “a couple of holes in the floor.” His closest championship challenger Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh for Ferrari.
Pole is especially welcome for Russell, who hasn't won since the Austrian Grand Prix in June and was one of the drivers hardest hit by software quirks in how his Mercedes uses its electrical energy.
“It was a tough end to the first half of the year,” said Russell, who’s 59 points off his 19-year-old teammate Antonelli after a near-stall ruined his race in Hungary last month. “The lap felt really good. It all came together nicely.”
Earlier Friday, Antonelli went fastest in the single practice session on a drying, constantly changing track after rain.
The 2026 cars and their formidable electrical power have yet to be tried in serious rain as part of a race weekend. That briefly seemed like it would happen in practice as teams started on intermediate tires, but the track soon dried out. Sprint qualifying was dry.
Max Verstappen has committed to Red Bull on a new contract through 2030 but there's no sign of his Dutch home race staying beyond this year.
The 80s rock anthem “The Final Countdown” rang around the venue Thursday as organizers geared up for the sixth and final Dutch GP since returning to the F1 calendar in 2021.
The race is a privately run operation in a calendar packed with races that boast government backing. Citing “risks and responsibilities,” organizers said in 2024 they'd rather “go out on a high" with two more races and no more.
Something else makes the Dutch GP stand out, too. Almost all fans attending are barred from driving to the track because the seaside resort town puts strict rules on traffic. Instead, they must take the train from Amsterdam or — in a uniquely Dutch take on F1 — join the tens of thousands riding bikes to Zandvoort.
Liam Lawson learned only on Monday he was being promoted to the main Red Bull team after Isack Hadjar injured his wrist. Lawson has tried the unfamiliar car only on the simulator so far, in a hastily arranged session Wednesday.
Lawson's promotion means Yuki Tsunoda is back on the grid with Racing Bulls. He hasn't raced under the new-for-2026 regulations at all. Lawson qualified 11th and Tsunoda 12th.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands reacts after the sprint qualifying for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain leaves the pit lane during the sprint qualifying at the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain reacts after taking pole position after the sprint qualifying for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain in action during the sprint qualifying at the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain in action during the sprint qualifying at the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Fans sit ahead of the first free practice for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands prepares for the first free practice for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain in action during the first free practice for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco makes a pit stop during the first free practice for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy in action during the first free practice for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands attends a news conference ahead of the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
