Bought for £12m, now worth double: AVFC hit the jackpot on "unflappable" £72k-p/w gem - opinion

As Aston Villa approach their first summer transfer window under the leadership of Steven Gerrard, there is certainly excitement around Villa Park regarding the top talents that could make their way to the West Midlands this summer.

The Villans have already been linked with big-money moves for midfielders Yves Bissouma and Kalvin Philips and could well have an emphatic window.

However, it’s worth remembering that some of Villa’s recent purchases for lower sums have actually turned out to be bargains, with the £12m deal to bring centre-back Ezri Konsa from Brentford in 2019 to Villa Park now seeming a very much worthwhile deal three years on.

When the Villans bought Konsa, the defender had just finished 11th in the Championship with the Bees whilst Villa were victorious in the playoffs.

Having already worked under then-manager Dean Smith, the deal certainly made sense, although £12m seemed to be a hefty fee for a player with no Premier League experience.

Moreover, as recently as 2018, the Englishman had been playing in League One with Charlton Athletic.

According to Transfermarkt, Konsa was valued at £3.15m when swapping Griffin Park for Villa Park, making the £12m transfer fee seem colossal and heavily inflated.

However, since bringing the defender to the Second City club, Villa has seen their asset’s value appreciate drastically.

By September 2019, the 24-year-old’s value had more than doubled to £7.2m but then fell slightly to £5.85m in April 2020 due to the outbreak of the viral pandemic.

However, once Premier League survival was confirmed for Smith’s side, Konsa’s valuation rose to its then-peak point of £8.1m and has only increased since.

Labelled as “unflappable” by Mat Kendrick, the £72k-per-week Englishman is now