Laurent Koscielny has hailed the quality of Jamie Vardy as a footballer, but would not get drawn into talking about his potential move to the Gunners.
The French international was speaking from their Euro 2016 based and was asked about the Leicester striker, strongly inked with a move to Arsenal this summer.
“He’s hard to play against because he likes to use depth, he’s very good at running behind the defence,” he told Omnisport.
“And in front of the goal, he doesn’t think, he feels the goal, as soon as he can shoot, he does. He proved this season with Leicester that he can be a great striker, and he scored some goals with his national team.
However, when he was asked about the stories involving Vardy and a move to North London, he correctly and respectfully played that down.
“You know, I don’t like to talk when it’s not signed,” he said.
“So as I said, he’s a great striker, he did a great season with Leicester. I don’t know if he’ll stay or if he’ll join another club. We’ll see, but he’s a great quality player.”
The 30 year also spoke about how he wants to to see new players brought in this summer who can help the team do better than second place. Referencing last season’s second place finish as a ‘disappointment’ (an attitude we like a lot), he said there were positives to take from it ahead of the next campaign.
“We have to keep the positive from this season to learn from it, and begin next season well, with probably some new players that will allow us to reach another level and have more consistent results.”
With Arsene Wenger offering new recruits paradise, it should make for a busy summer. We obviously just haven’t figured out what kind of paradise Jamie Vardy wants yet.
A swimming pool filled with blue WKD probably, but we’re sure we’ll get there.
Great guy, Kos the boss. A quiet leader with great pace/interceptions.
Looking forward to seeing him next season, preferably with Vardy than against.
looking forward to see him alongside a more vocal leader
and before fans get pissy its not a slight against Kos, but we need a vocal defender too, one that complents/provides competition for Koscielny.
I worry the guy plays so many games that if he gets injured our defence falls apart.
Hit the nail there, vardy doesn’t think, just shoots and as long as it’s on target, u r likely to score. That’s what he can bring to this team, a dimension teams will have to adapt to which will free up space for midfielders to score more.
Don’t like his face but if he comes, it will only benefit the club.
I don not think Vardy is Arsene No. one target because of the age factor for him and Giroud, they were both at at the end of their Twenties, and i believe Vardy,s attempt was meant sell off Walcott, so if Vardy comes Walcott goes, while still Young futursitic striker on the line coming.
I don’t think Wenger would spend £20m and then sit him on the bench. He was going to be the main striker
We all know what Wenger does. He will play, Vardy on the wing and Giroud in center. If Giroud is injured, Vardy moves to center.
We need three forwards with pace capable of getting 20+ goals apiece, ideally. At the moment we only have Alexis that really fits into that category. With Ozil and 2 dms or 1 dm plus a more attack minded midfielder in behind we’re all set.
Giroud is a good option to have but I can’t see that you would want him as a first choice in there. Depends how well he is playing I guess to be fair.
Vardy for me seems to fit, if we actually manage to sign him.
Whilst I’m in no way totally against the acquisition of Jamie Vardy, I do worry that we should probably be aiming bigger (and I’m not talking money – cost doesn’t bother me). I know it’s only speculation at present, but when you look at who our opposition (may) be targeting, it’s quite alarming. I do feel Vardy is Wenger’s Plan B, after Aubameyang.
Man City – Aubameyang.
Man United – Ibrahimovic.
Chelsea – Lukaku.
Liverpool – Higuain.
Arsenal – Vardy.
Admittedly you can’t know for sure who’ll do well, or who will represent good value etc.
Only Vardy (and Lukaku) are proven in the EPL though
Zlatan at the Glazerhawks would be brilliant. It virtually guarantees that Giggs will leave, accelerating the process of disgruntlement in the Surrey fan base. It means that there will be two uncontrollable egomaniacs competing for the attention of the press, the board, the fans and the players, also accelerating the process of everything going tits up. It’s also probably important to remember that at 34 Zlatan’s most recent experience at PSG amounts to little more than bragging about scoring lots of goals at, say, Celtic (admirable institution that it is) – so it’s not exactly a certain bet that he’ll… Read more »
Zlatan has won something like 12 league titles in 13 seasons and is only now in his peak, whilst I do believe him and Jose will at best cooperate for one season maximum, the Swede’s abilities and overall game shouldn’t be underestimated. Higuain is, and has been for many years, one the world’s best finishers. Aubameyang has been increasingly impressive, even before Dortmund, and has just had a truly stellar season. Lukaku has repeatedly been able to notch large goal tallies for teams that create few chances. Whereas Vardy has had one excellent season in a team that builds their… Read more »
Zlatan scored lots of goals in a medium league with the (by miles) richest and top side.
He is 35 in October so don’t think he will do anywhere near as well over here in the PL and could also see him getting injured due to the extra strains of the PL, playing twice a week (on a Sp*rsday as well) etc.
If I were him I would do similar to what he has done at PSG, go somewhere to a rich club that has a great chance of winning the title and try to keep my record up.
If I were him I’d put in a phone call to David Beckham and get a whopping-great contract with Miami FC (or whatever they’re called).
His massive wages will be part funded by MLS and he’ll get to live in sunny Miami, getting worshipped by everyone and having an easy life.
He’s won everything possible – what does it matter if he plays out a couple of years whilst winning nothing of note and having a nice easy time of it whilst in the process?
China you mean?
If I was Zlatan I’d call Arsene and offer myself up for a reasonable sum of money and see my career out in the classiest club in England. Possibly the world!
All I’m actually saying is that I’m not convinced Vardy is the right signing for us, and then giving examples as to the calibre of players our rivals are pursuing. Not sure why this is turning into the Zlatan show.
Whenever Zlatan is involved it becomes the Zlatan Show
I guess because you said: Zlatan has won something like 12 league titles in 13 seasons and *is only now in his peak*.
People probably didn’t get much past that (I reckon you are overestimating him), despite the other strikers you mentioned. I’d love Aubameyang but as that won’t happen I am happy to have Vardy who ideally would turn out to be like RVP when he went to Man Utd. Though knowing Arsenal more likely to do the exact opposite and spend the season in the injury ward.
But it’s true, in fact I was off as (having checked) it’s actually 13/15 seasons he’s won the league title. And if he isn’t improving on his form, why has he just had his best season in France now, after 4 years? He’s not a player that relies on pace, instead he operates with power, skill, and astonishing technique (not just goals either) and those attributes are without a shadow of a doubt at their peak. Watch his movement when he plays, his foresight is unbelievable. And I must admit, it took me a long time to swallow my pride… Read more »
I agree with lots of what you’ve said, I’ve read his book and seen him live at the Emirates, scoring twice for Barcelona in 2010 (when Theo came on and changed the match http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8591643.stm), so know he is a great player. My points are: – he is 35 – our league is far more physical – he looks great in France due to the quality of the opposition relative to PSG – he has been lucky with injuries – he will have to play on Sp*rsday – every player declines at some point He may come and be great but… Read more »
After all this watch him end up moving to the US/China! 😉
I have a Spanish Real-supporting friend and I distinctly recall him threatening to cut off Higuain’s balls and stuff them down his throat for missing the net on occasions when Redknapp’s granny would have scored. More than once.
Maybe he’s just a misanthrope.
Just look at Inter Milan after these two left. Not even a shadow of it’s past now.
I think Vardy is what we need at the moment – albeit a short term solution. It does seem like this may be Wenger’s last year with us as he is not a typical Wenger signing. Vardy is proven in the Premier league and has the aggressiveness up front we have been lacking in recent years. All in all, Vardy is a very good signing (if it happens of course) and for 20 million, that is not bad for an English striker who scored 24 goals last season.
Sorry, but I love the delusion of people thinking we will splash the cash for Higuain or Aubameyang assuming their clubs will even sell.
Higuain represents no real resale value and somehow I don’t see Aubameyang joining or Dortmund selling unless its upwards of £50m (excluding bonuses, agent fees, signing on fees etc).
I’ll gladly change my username to “Inaccurate cunt” if Aubameyang does come.
I’d like to see this one happen, there might be some doubts about form and being consistent but we are better to have an option than nothing at all. If we didn’t have the Vardy option and decided to go big on Higuain it could end badly, e.g. no reinforcements come end of August. He offers serious pace and aggression up front, something we lack badly. He scored a great range of goals yesterday and in terms of pure counter attacking goals this only accounted for a small amount of what he scored really. I’d love us to go after… Read more »
See, you Barca cunts? That’s how it is done.
I hope you are being sarcastic.
I would have thought the way to do it is to agree personal terms with the player BEFORE offering to pay any sort of release clause. Words like carts, horses and before, come to mind.
This is the second time it’s happened. It looks clumsy, desperate and unprofessional.
Erm, wouldn’t that be exactly the WRONG way to go about it. Isn’t that what is commonly known as ‘tapping up’?
Indeed ….now show me a club that hasn’t done it. It’s the only way of finding out if a player wants to play for you.
Have you forgotten Mr Wenger himself saying how he personally spoke to both Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in order to convince them to sing for Arsenal?
Clubs only pay the release clause when there’s no agreement with the owner club and after agreeing personal terms with the player.
Tapping up of course happens but it’s the way you do it. For example, a personal phone call over forcing a shirt over a player’s head
We’ve signed Xhaka which is nice, but we cannot dither too long with this. A prolific striker is the minimum requirement. Vardy is a player who I personally do not believe we should sign, purely because of tactical incompatability. I’d throw as much money as possible on Greizeman.
Quite relaxed about vardy. If he arrives, and scores 25 next season, ace. If he arrives and scores 10, fine, he’s reportedly cheap enough. If he doesn’t arrive…meh. One thing is certain : he needs to concentrate on looking less rat like. He looks like Cletus Spuckler.
How do you know his surname? I always thought he was just called Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel.
I’m geeky. Superindendent chalmers is called Gary. I could go on……
How about Bumblebee Man?
You got me : had to google it. Pedro Chespirito apparently. A little disappointing, cos I remember him having a british ‘luvvie’ accent on the episode where bart does the ‘i didn’t do it’ thing.
Concerned he has a touch of the Harry kane’s, like an inbred hillbilly from a budget horror film. The kind of guy you encounter in the wilderness on a canoeing trip.
Good to see Koscielny has more of a brain than Giroud.
On another note, is it really worth making such a big deal over this weasel faced megacunt? If he is the supposed solution to our striking woes we’re in big trouble.
I think “less candid” would be a better description than having “more of a brain”. From what I’ve heard from and read of the two, Giroud seems much more intellectual and introspective (perhaps too much so) than Koscielny, who seems a bit, how should I say this, ‘straightforward’.
I read somewhere that Laurent likes to read anarcho-syndicalist poetry. That pastime alone may not make him an intellectual but come the revolution he’ll know which side to support, yeah?
I wish he was strongly inked
Vardy is “inked with a move to Arsenal”?
Sounds like he’s coming to me, if he’s already got the tattoo!
No need for a coat in this weather…
Those Barca cunts should learn a thing or 2 from him.
Sounds like the players want se big name signings too. If Vardy wants to focus on the Euros, fine. But if i were his agent, I would tell him exactly the same. As I aaid before, this move attracts otger clubs to the scene, restricts Leicester’s potential spending power as they will want to otger him wages near to the highest bidder. Its a predictable move from the agent. This, though, forces Leicester to consider who they want to keep and who they could begrudgingly part with. This, then， gives uusa better hand for negotiating deals for others like Kante… Read more »
Sounds like we’ve already lost the deal with vardy and hel now probably stay at Leciester. What’s plan B? What happened to getting Draxler, he’s a player who plays in both of the positions that need an upgrade. But I honestly just want us to grab someone above your average CF
I think it’s still on, it just got more complicated. I hate to hope for an early English exit to the euros…
To be honest, I’m really looking forward to the next couple months. The optimist inside me says it’s going to be an exciting transfer window for Arsenal fans. I genuinely think we’re going to sign some top players. COYG.
My biggest worry is that Girood having a good tournament with France (they have good players pogba, payat, Kriezman they could easily win it with Girood scoring 5goals & then all of the sudden he’s a world class player & he is “like a new signing).
Damn, if Vardy joins. A lot of you guys are going to look really stupid if (and that’s a big if) he ends up scoring 20+ goals for us next season. Especially if you’re celebrating most of them…