Brentford’s England Under-21 international defender Ezri Konsa has left the Club to join Aston Villa. The 21-year-old completed a medical with the newly promoted Premier League side late last night, Tuesday 10 July, before signing for the Birmingham side. The final paperwork was complete this morning. He leaves The Bees for an undisclosed fee to link up with former Brentford Head Coach Dean Smith, now in charge at Villa Park.

Ezri leaves after one season at Griffin Park, in which he established himself as a mainstay in the Brentford defence and in the England Under-21 squad. He joined The Bees from Charlton Athletic 13 months ago, where he had come through the ranks. He had been around the First Team squad at the South London side since he was 18 and made his debut before his 19th birthday, becoming a regular in Sky Bet League One for two seasons before his departure.

He was almost ever-present for The Bees in the Championship last season, playing 47 games in all competitions. He only missed three league games last term and scored his first Brentford goal on the last day of the season in the win over Preston North End. Ezri also did enough to earn a place in the England Under-21 squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championships in Italy and San Marino this summer.

He was part of the England youth set-up while at Charlton. He made his first England appearance in the Under-20 World Cup Semi-Final and was part of the group that took the trophy by beating Venezuela in the Final. In total he played five games at Under-20 level for his country. Ezri helped England Under-21 win the prestigious Toulon Tournament in France last summer and made his Under-21 debut in that tournament. He was part of the group that played in the European Under-21 Championships over the past month and earned seven caps at that level, scoring once.

Phil Giles, Brentford FC Co-Director of Football, said: "On behalf of Brentford FC I'd like to place on record my thanks to Ezri for his performances over the last year. He has made the step up to the Championship look easy, and I'm sure he will continue to do well in the Premier League. We wish him well."