Why Tosin Adarabioyo could be the perfect replacement for Ezri Konsa at Aston Villa

[p]Indeed, the summer transfer window shuts for business in less than a fortnight, so if Unai Emery is going to be able to get in a preferred candidate, he and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Villa[/a] board have to work quickly to get a deal over the line.[/p][h2]Villa face competition from European giants[/h2][p]Initial reports would suggest that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/adarabioyo-tosin/6w8mLnxQ/"]Tosin[/a] Adarabioyo is the most likely replacement, though Villa will face stiff competition from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/marseille/SblU3Hee/"]Marseille[/a] - who have apparently already been in touch with the Blues, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/benfica/zBkyuyRI/"]Benfica[/a] and Sevilla.[/p][p]The 28-year-old Londoner is the same age as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konsa-ezri/4CQLQWTa/"]Konsa[/a] but, with respect, hasn't made as many headline-grabbing performances at Stamford Bridge as his contemporary has at Villa Park.[/p][embed guid="a4a0a1b9-4550-4c22-ba76-78ee215d42d5" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2088598800269017504" social-type="twitter" /][p]That Xabi Alonso would be open to the possibility of losing Tosin not long after bidding Trevoh Chalobah farewell might also sound the alarm bells in the Midlands, though the time factor is clearly against Emery and Co.[/p][p]Over the past 12 months, Tosin made 33 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring three goals, though his cumulative minutes (1,959) gave him approximately just 21 full matches' worth of action throughout the course of the 2025/26 campaign, which also took the Club World Cup into account. [/p][p]Compare and contrast that to Konsa's 48 appearances and 4,170 minutes played, clearly evidencing how much of a mainstay he was for Villa last season.[/p][h2]More tackles and headers from Tosin[/h2][image alt="Ezri Konsa and Tosin Adarabioyo's radar graphics - Premier League 2025/26" id="6631dbc2-408e-4121-80c9-c42b47f65d5b" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="60116192-ea66-499a-a0f8-7534cf2f480a" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p]In terms of tackles made, the Chelsea man was involved in 33, 17 of which he won, for an average success rate just over the 50% mark.[/p][p]The Villa stalwart's very poor showing here might well be behind why Emery has decided to allow the defender to move on to pastures new. That's because despite Konsa playing more than double the minutes of his contemporary, he actually made fewer tackles (30), and won significantly fewer (13). [/p][p]Tosin's heading abilities in 2025/26 were also better than Konsa's, the former making 90 headed clearances to the latter's 77.[/p][p]Headed duels saw both players lose almost the same amount (41 Tosin, 40 Konsa); however, the Blues' centre-back contested almost 40 more (121 to 82).[/p][p]In terms of clearances more generally, the Villa man edged it (164 to 139).[/p][h2]Konsa on top in battle for possession[/h2][p]There's a clear winner when it comes to the pair's ability to win back possession, with Konsa's 161 separate occasions far in excess of the 67 from Tosin, though they're on par with each other in one-on-one duels.[/p][p]As might be expected given the number of games played, Konsa has contested more (216 to 179), though Tosin's winning of 116 compared to his contemporary's 143 sees their success rate even out to roughly the same output. [/p][p]Indeed, the Chelsea man's best showing of 69.88% is slightly better than the 67.11% which was Konsa's top percentage over the course of the season.[/p][h2]Perfect pass completion[/h2][image alt="Ezri Konsa pass map - Premier League 2025/26" id="5af228a2-fd47-496b-b9d0-a3fc05c39162" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="828405da-6756-46c5-b618-cd420aad32db" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]With [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] known to be one of the best passing sides in the English top flight, it won't have escaped anyone that Konsa's pass completion has been rock solid.[/p][p]His worst showing was 92.11%, but in the League Cup last season, he completed all 60 of his attempts, landing him a perfect 100% success rate.[/p][p]Though Tosin's output dipped to 86.75% in the League Cup, that's still far from a bad showing, and more plaudits should be given for his outstanding 96.24% completion in the Club World Cup.[/p][p]Both players can provide a supplementary presence in dead-ball situations, though neither is particularly adept at troubling the goals column, but given that scoring isn't their primary concern, that's a side issue and certainly not one for Emery or Arteta to lose any sleep over.[/p][h2]Tosin isn't a downgrade[/h2][p]Looking at the situation objectively, considering that Tosin can't really be classed as a regular at Chelsea, his metrics are of a very high standard.[/p][p]In a progressive outfit such as Villa, with a manager who will give you a chance but demands the best, the move could be just what the player needs to take the next step in his career.[/p][embed guid="cb4c8356-79a5-4e72-a099-a6b58f87d74b" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2090072302176145454" social-type="twitter" /][p]Looking at the numbers posted to date, one would have to contend that he's not anywhere close to being the downgrade on Konsa that some might believe he was.[/p][p]Ultimately, the test for either player is what's ahead of them and not what's gone before, and with both at their peak in terms of age, this particular transfer merry-go-round could work out well for all concerned.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]