Nestled on the southernmost tip of Epping Forest sits Wanstead Flats – where Ezri Konsa’s footballing road to Arsenal began.
This leafy part of north-east London doesn’t reveal its footballing factory secrets right away, but scratch beneath the surface and it’s home to a Sunday league club that has generated professional players for years and years.
Senrab FC were founded in 1961 and since then have produced a long line of footballing greats, from Ray Wilkins to Sol Campbell.
Its latest gem is Ezri Konsa, who just put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Arsenal.
Ezri played at Senrab for two years before departing for Charlton Athletic as an under-12. To take us back to the beginning, we caught up with Tony Carroll, who was club secretary for 40 years, overseeing all the greats, including Ezri.
Originally a midfielder, Carroll suggested moving Konsa back into defence, even comparing him to Rio Ferdinand for his style of play.
He said: “He was a midfield player, and then I put him in the back. I used to tell him how good he was, and I nicknamed him ‘Little Rio’, because he actually played like Rio.
“He saw everything that was coming in front of him, and he could read it all.
“He was so quick too, very good with the ball and bringing the ball out.”
As well as producing England internationals such as John Terry, Jermain Defoe, Ledley King and many more, Arsenal in particular have a lot to thank Senrab for.
On top of developing Konsa, the club also was the start of Sol Campbell’s journey, who eventually joined us in 2001 from Tottenham before winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups.
“Sol was a fantastic player,” Tony recalled. “You could see he was going to be a leader from the beginning.
“We wanted Ashley Cole as well, he played just down the road with Pumas, so we could’ve had three former Gunners!
“There was a London team which was basically made up of Senrab boys and Ashley. It’s great to see our tradition of players playing for The Arsenal continue with Ezri.
During his first interview with us, Ezri described himself as cool, calm and collected on the ball.
Those are traits he’s shown off in abundance during his career, but was it always the case even back in his Senrab days?
“He wasn’t a shouter on the pitch. But he did everything right. Nothing was complicated. It was always good.
“Everyone was a natural thing for him. To do the easy part, the easy bit. He didn’t overcomplicate things.
“He didn’t try and beat three or four players. He could beat four players with a pass, you could see that he had style.
“He had charisma. He just oozed it, even as a young kid. He just oozed confidence. He knew he was a good player, and then he just dominated the defence with his skill.
“He’s just been a success through his football skill, and I just think he was magnificent as a kid. He was just a marvellous player. There was no trouble. He never had confrontations. He just got on with the task at hand.”
Notts County star Jodi Jones was fellow Senrab scholar, with the pair almost sharing a pitch on the international stage as Malta, Jones’ selected nation, faced England at Wembley. While Ezri remained an unused sub, Jones got on the pitch late on, it was a bit moment for Tony and the club.
Ezri has since gone on to make a name for himself in an England jersey, scoring at the 2026 World Cup against France.
As he now gets down to business in N5, Tony couldn’t be prouder to see him slot into our defensive unit.
“It’s unbelievable, I’m so proud. For him and his family. His parents are nice people. It was great to see him at the World Cup, people have really noticed him for England.
“My message to him is to just keep doing what you’re doing. He’s done fantastic for himself. It’s amazing and a dream come true to be playing for The Arsenal.
“The league champions, and I think with Ezri in there, they have a big chance of doing it again. He’s worked his way into the England team and I think he will establish himself at Arsenal.”
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