Francis Coquelin has agreed terms with Valencia and his move to the Spanish side should be completed within the next 24 hours report French outlet RMC.
The midfielder has fallen out of favour this season, with just 156 minutes of Premier League action to his name, although he has featured regularly in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
The potential move means he won’t play in tonight’s semi-final first leg against Chelsea, and he could become the first departure of the window.
The Gunners rejected an approach from West Ham, who are now said to be interested in teammate Mohamed Elneny, but it would be a stretch to let another midfield player leave with cover now even lighter in that area.
The club are still to decide over Man City’s £20m bid for Alexis Sanchez, and his involvement tonight – or not – could be telling in that regard.
Theo Walcott is another potential candidate to leave this month, with former club Southampton and Everton both interested.
Surely we have to strengthen in midfield this month now?
Wouldn’t count on it. I see this more as confirmation that Wilshere will be tied down to a new deal. If Wenger didn’t think he needed another CM when he had Xhaka, Elneny, Coquelin, Ramsey last year, then he’s not going to think he needs a new one when you replace Coquelin with Wilshere.
Like a new signing!!
I disagree due to the fact that Xhaka hasn’t progressed this season, “The Nanny” as someone apty observerved is more of a scrimmage player and Ramsey has a chronic hammy. Coupled with the fact we’re soft as baby shite centally with or without the ball shows better is needed.
Do you think AMN will get a more chances to play in midfield now for the rest of the season, thus giving Wenger an idea if he needs to buy another DM in the summer? Just a thought?
That’s a fair question but AMN doesn’t strike me as the defensive midfielder type.
Not if we don’t have enough cover on the left and right he won’t. If Debuchy goes, Monreal doesn’t stay healthy, and the Tank keeps having injuries / form issues, he’ll be a fullback ’til the end of the season most likely.
Just to be clear – I’m not saying I don’t think we need reinforcement. I’m saying I think Wenger will be of the opinion that we don’t need reinforcements.
Be interesting to see what happens to him when he makes the jump across to Spain, where predominately being good on the ball is a necessity for a midfielder.
Best of luck to him. I dont know why, but it makes me feel a lot better that Gabriel is there with him.
In my opinion he’ll be a great acquisition for Valencia and La Liga is easier physically. He’ll look great with them and be great with them. And he should be way higher than 12M in todays market. That price plus the 10M for Gabriel is a complete steal. 22M for those two is a joke.
It might sound harsh but he is not Arsenal class. He is a mid tablr quality player. Good luck to him though
Better than Elneny.
I’m all for having a bit of a clear out – really do wish the best of luck to Le Coq, he was a proper trier and Arsenal to the core. Let’s raise some more funds, ship out Theo and Debuchy, let Alexis have what he wants and get his replacement sorted. Would love to see us on the cusp of signing someone big to replace him, could be the refresher we really need.
An extra thumbs up for saying all of this without being too negative. A large shake up is absolutely vital. In that regard, I also feel a solid defensive signing is vital. We also must reorganise defensive strategy from zonal to man to man defending as the situation demands. Arsenal are too easy to go through and predict defensively
Spot on with what you’re saying… deluded if you think it will happen. Once again we will see slot more leave then come in. We will make a profit on transfers for the window. Happens year after year isn’t going to change now I’m afraid. Excuse the negativity but seen it happen time and time again. It’s a painful time to be an arsenal fan.
Good luck to him. I always thought he was unfairly maligned and a better player than some gave him credit for. Hope it all turns out well at Valencia.
I thought he was good squad player too. Always will remember him for having the best nick name in football .
Good luck Le coq blocker
“No, I dont think we need someone new replacing Francis. Ainsley Maitland-Niles can play in that position. Aaron and Santi are recovering well, so we can treat them all as new value in the middle” – expect some shit like that from Arsene during next press conference, mark my words
Santi is done. As tragic as that is…..
I don’t have a problem with the idea that Ainsley should replace Coq – it’s an upgrade and giving AMN the further opportunities his performances this season have shown he warrants.
AMN will score in the league before Coquelin will. Joking aside (scoring is not Coquelin’s job), Coquelin is an experience professional who handles his remit when he plays. AMN seems nearly there, and I would agree that he has more potential.
Coq out.
Just Wilshire left from our Youth Cup winning squad now
Must be showing him the direction to Sevilla. All best Coq. do well at your new club
Criminal to keep two similar players like Xhaka and Elneny and sell the only proper DM for 10M.
I think people are disagreeing with your appraisal that Xhaka and Elneny are similar. Neither is a game-destroying DM like Coquelin, but that’s where the similarities end.
Great News. Another Denilson
GL! Marcelino is much more better coach than Wenger.
This only makes sense if we are buying another injury in midfield after this goes through and we are in a bad place
Good move for him. Valencia are a decent side, will probably play Champions League football next season which might not happen with us. He’s still young, hope it turns out well for him. Best of luck Mr Le Coq!
It’s all unraveling now. Le Professeur has always seemed to have a plan, but what is the plan now? To sell all the players and field a U23 side? Or maybe there is no plan. We have a squad of average players, where the ones with any abillity is on contracts running out this summer or the next, and we have a manager who dosn’t like to spend serious money on quality players. He likes to talk about “top, top quality players” and “exceptional talent”, but he dont want to pay for them. I have given up on Wenger years… Read more »
Sadly – Spot on.
Please do not forget to close the door behind you on your way out. COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Ta ta, have fun wherever your glory hunt takes you. COYG
Right time to move him move on. Him and Santi together were amazing. Them playing together was the only time we actually looked like we were going to challenge for the title. Sad that partnership had to end. Sad that fairy tale had to come to an end for the Coq. He was the closest to a proper DM we had in a very long time. Good luck to him.
Sadly we had to try to convert our most-DM player into something he wasn’t… makes me wonder what could’ve been. Good luck, Le Coq.
Fair dinkum!
Will always be known for diving in the air like a salmon.
Never thought he was good enough, but he always did his best, I do wish him the best of luck! Too bad no one is going to replace him, even though our midfield lacks quality and numbers.
Such a pity. The official end of the Coqzorla midfield partnership.
This might also mean that three at the back is here to stay, which I fucking hate.
Absolutely loved ‘Le Coq’. Not the most skilful player ever, but never for the lack of effort. I hope it turns out brilliant for him in Spain.
It’s a terrible shame that we’ll never see Francis Coquelin score a goal for Arsenal. He’s played more games for us than John Jensen too!
Good luck Francis. No one can doubt your passion and determination.
So that means Arsenal desperately need to buy a defensive midfielder in this transfer window. In other news : grass is green, the Pope is Catholic etc etc….
Good luck, Francis and thank you.
Farewell, proud and immovable Coq. Your firmness and mighty support cast (balls A and B) served us well, and your outstanding Cockney-Gaellic dialect still cracks me up today.
Go hard! as they say down under.
Coquelin should get a standing ovation when he leaves. He fully merited his big pay rise last year.
This was a guy who was farmed out to loan club after loan club until all our midfielders got knacked and circumstance forced Arsene’s hand. Many scoffed, but we beat Man City two to nothing at their own place. Coquelin turned our season around.
You could never question his heart when he played for us. There was the game a couple of years ago where he kept getting blasted In the face a la Scott Sterling, but Coquelin kept doing the dirty work in the midfield. Wish him well.
Three at the back was the shrivelling for our Coq and a few others and I can’t say it has given us any extra assurance in defence.
All The Best Francis, you have a good technical base and decent passing to become a proper midfield destroyer in Spain.
On the tactical side , the DM to press forward like mad instruction Wenger gives almost never works and can make even good defensive midfielders look rubbish.
Does that mean the imminent arrival of n’zonzi ?
Nope
Good luck Francis and many many thanks. A true gunner. Shame that partnership with Santi which was so promising could not blossom. Then he got marginalized. A very intelligent move from him, Valencia are having a great season and their coach Marcelino is highly rated in la Liga and the city is cool. He can be a success there.
Him and Santi were brilliant together, probably one of the best MF partnerships we have had in recent years.
His resurgence in the 2014/15 season is hope for any player they can recover fledging career. That game against City where we won 2-0 he was phenomenal. Big shame he never scored for us.
Wish him all the best for the future.
going to miss all those Coq puns, maybe blogs can get the Coq out one more time??
Yes, I would like to see the Coq unsheathed one last time.
Any insight as to the fee?
£12m, in that region
Thanks! Not bad money. Although on my Arsenal game on FM17, Bayern Munich paid £35m for him! ?
Coquelin surprised everyone upon returning from loan at Charlton– to be just what was required for that squad at that time.
Could always see his level of effort, from the number of turf stains skidded about his kit.
jw1
Thank god, that one performance v City a couple years ago was a false dawn…
Proved to be a poor player.
Your generous attitude towards a player who was with the club so many years, worked as hard as he could, and gave his all on the pitch is truly heartwarming.
Never rated him, but also never questioned his passion and effort. I’d like to see more underachievers go. And finally, we should bring in at least one proper, imposing defensive mid.
Sad to see him go and I wish him all the best, he was/is a good player. The issues we have had and still have are nothing to do with the players – it’s the manager, his transfer dealings, his team selections, his tactics and his coaching methods. We could have Ronaldo and Messi in the side and we’d still be losing to Watford – because of Wenger and his refusal to change his ways. So, cheers Franny, hope the move works out well for you.
Good luck to him. Can’t knock a trier and he always tried. Just came up short.
All the the best
I’ve been a bit tentative to post this since he was the player to hate this season but Coquelin was honestly probably my favourite player. Tries hard always is on it and was a gooner. I feel that Wenger needs to feel some guilt around his management of Coq. When we recalled him he led the league for nearly 2 years in tackles and interceptions for a midfielder. Then we switched formation and whatever and he became an afterthought. Everyone complains about what he can’t do oh he can’t score, oh he can’t put in through balls. Look at our… Read more »
I concur
I as well.
Wenger feel ‘guilt’….?! That’s a good ‘un. Strip away his encyclopedia of bulls**t PR soundbites and you’ll find Wenger is as ruthless as anyone else – Mourinho included.
Yeah, I feel the same way, and this transfer has left me feeling sad. Obviously there are players of greater overall quality out there, but I loved the tenacity with which Coquelin played, and I admit I’m a sucker for any underdog story. He loved the club, seemed like a genuinely good guy, and I really do believe could provide something very useful to this team if given the right opportunity.
Can’t for the life of me understand this sale. Why did Wenger consistently play Coq in a closing down role and not in his best position which is one of the areas we are screaming out for an improvement in.
Bizarre
Good luck to him…I have a shirt with his name on it. When we needed saving in the midfield a couple of years ago, he came to the rescue. He did the non-romantic dirty work that seldom gets recognized. He served the club well and I applaud him for that. Hold tight fellow gooners, the great squad shake up of 2018 is about to begin.
I’m more worried about a manager and coaching staff shake up then a squad shake up to be fair lol 🙂
I agree. We needed someone to win the ball and give the ball – and Coquelin did just that. That performance up at Manchester City will live long in the memory. We’d finally found something that clicked – and Wenger, as usual, changed it the very next game.
I honestly can’t remember the last time he had a good game, against City in 2015 or something??
Bye-bye Le Coq. Next Walcott and Debuchy. Take the clear-out to a logical conclusion and bring in some decent quality please.
Marcelino > Wenger
Good luck to him. He always fought hard for the club, and that’s all you can ask.
My favorite moment of his was against Hull in the 2015 FA cup 3rd Round, when he flew into a challenge with 2 feet but got the ball (kinda of). It was an insane challenge (by today’s standards) but he got away with only a yellow card.
Then, when we were setting up the wall, a Hull player said something to him and while the camera was fixed on Coquelin, you can clearly see him respond, “Shut the f*** up.”
Legendary.
Good luck in Valencia, Francis! Shall miss all the Coq jokes.
On a more serious note, Coq really helped us out in 2014 where he was recalled from loan in Charlton while we were experiencing a midfield crisis. Another member from that FA Youth Cup win departing makes me sad.
Plays like a chicken who’s lost his head. Wild tackles, yellows and reds…
Can’t shoot and can only pass sideways. Not much to miss.
Strange one selling our only defensive midfielder but hey ho.
Falling apart at the seems
Are we really in a situation where we could potentially get more money for Walcott than Sanchez (should they both leave this window)???
It’s madness I tell you, complete madness.
I would have got rid of Elneny first.
I hope this doesn’t mean we are reliant on young Willock or AMN to step up.
Again that would be high risk much like selling Gabriel and relying on Holding or Chambers to step up before they have even shown evidence on delivery on promise.
Coquelin to me would at very least be an experience back up player who delivers higher minimal standards than elneny.
If we don’t reinforce from market, this is a pretty poor move again.
We’d do well to make a play for Geoffrey KOngdogbia on loan from Inter at Valencia.
And he will be played within a team with structure as a DM. He will excell in his new team. Always rated the guy.
Coquelin hasn’t agreed terms. He flies tomorrow to meet them and negotiate terms. Then medical and announcement.