While some of Arsenal’s players may have been plotting a summer exit, one player who has always been sure of his future at the Emirates Stadium is Laurent Koscielny. The defender has stated that despite interest from Barcelona, he has always been committed to the Gunners and is looking forward to developing with the club.
Having signed from Lorient in the summer of 2010, it would be fair to say that Koscielny has made significant progress during his time under Arsene Wenger. With the defender joining for a modest £8.45m, few people knew what to expect although the 26-year-old has impressed many and become a regular in the club’s starting eleven. To date, he has managed 85 appearances, scoring six goals.
Unsurprisingly, such form has turned the head of several other clubs. There were strong rumours during the early stages of the summer that Barcelona were set to table a bid, although the player insists that he was never contacted. Speaking to RMC, Koscielny said, “My idea was to extend to continue to stay at Arsenal. Personally, Barca did not contact me. Maybe they did speak to my agents. But I did not talk to them. They knew my position. I wanted to stay here to continue to develop with this club.”
It now appears as though any talk linking Koscielny with a move away from the Emirates has firmly come to an end. The Frenchman has recently signed a new contract which will keep him at Arsenal until at least 2017. Bearing in mind his obvious commitment to the club, it would appear doubtful for any transfer away to materialize and he is likely to be in Arsene Wenger’s plans for the long-term. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about other players, as speculation continues to mount over several other of Arsenal’s stars.
