Former Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith believes Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has done enough to be considered one of Thomas Tuchel’s first choice defenders for the Three Lions.
Konsa got his first senior England call-up in November 2023 ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia but did not feature in either fixture.
The Villa defender had to wait until the following year before making his debut in a friendly match against Brazil in March 2024, coming on as a substitute with 20 minutes left to play.
28-year-old Konsa made his first competitive start in the round of 16 win over Slovakia at Euro 2024, playing the second half of extra time after replacing Jude Bellingham.
He went on to start the quarter-final against Switzerland, in place of the suspended Marc Guéhi, and played for 78 minutes before being substituted for Cole Palmer as England eventually won the game via a penalty shoot-out.
Konsa netted his first senior international goal in a 5-0 victory against Serbia in Belgrade in September 2025.
Analysing the current England squad, Smith noted that Konsa and Guéhi have established themselves as the leading centre-back pairing for England.
“The two who started in Serbia, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guéhi – at the moment, I think they’re at the head of the queue,” Smith told BestBettingSites.co.uk.
“I think they go well together as a partnership. There’s pace in there. Guéhi playing on the left suits him, like he does at Palace, albeit in a three.
“They’re gaining more experience at the international level. John Stones has obviously had his injury problems.
“You wouldn’t discount John, but for Dan Burn, no, I don’t see him at the moment as somebody who’s going to be good enough to rival the two I’ve mentioned, and also Stones, if he’s fit.”
Smith also expressed his worries over Harry Kane’s replacement in case the England captain picks up an injury or suspension that keeps him out of World Cup action..
“I think you’ve got to be worried, haven’t you, because we certainly haven’t got a like-for-like replacement for Kane,” said the former striker, who scored twice in 13 appearances for the Three Lions.
“He’s such a good player, Harry Kane, that that’s always going to be difficult anyway. And his style differs from a lot of centre-forwards in the way that he drops in.
“Ollie Watkins has got himself a goal and is looking a little bit more lively now. But we’re so thin on the ground for centre-forwards these days, aren’t we?
“Everybody goes back to those times where we had five or six – Shearer, Owen and Fowler, Cole, Sheringham, Wright, all those. And now we’ve got very few. So I’m sure Thomas Tuchel will be just hoping that Kane can stay fit.”
Watkins had a successful 2024/25 campaign for Villa, netting 17 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions as the team reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and secured European football for the third year in a row.
But he went seven games in all competitions without a goal this season before breaking the drought in the 3-1 win against Fulham at Villa Park.
The England international has made 20 senior appearances for the Three Lions and scored six goals, with his most recent strike coming against Wales at Wembley on Thursday in a match in which Morgan Rogers also scored and Konsa claimed an assist.
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