L’Equipe are reporting this morning that the Europa League final against Chelsea could be Laurent Koscielny’s last ever game as an Arsenal player.
The 33 year old will lead the Gunners out in Baku, hoping to lead the club to its first European trophy in 25 years.
Next week’s final could be Koscielny’s last #Arsenal game, report L’Equipe. One year left on contract, he wants to play 2-3 more and no talks yet for extension. Leverkusen, Milan, Monaco, Rennes keen. Gunners want Barcelona’s Umtiti as replacement and could get him for €60m
— Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) May 24, 2019
The Frenchman’s agent revealed that he was considering his future last year when it was announced that Arsene Wenger would be leaving the club, seeing his own departure as a timely way to leave when the man who brought him to North London was also on his way out.
Then injury struck in the Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, scuppering any possibility of a move.
It now appears as if he’s willing for one more challenge before he retires with Bayer Leverkeusen, AC Milan, Monaco and Rennes all interested.
A return to France seems most likely if he does go, but his departure would make an already complicated summer for Arsenal even more so.
Central defensive reinforcements are a must, and even if Koscielny was only a squad player next season it would make it easier to move on Shkodran Mustafi in whom many have lost faith after a difficult season.
The captain still has one year left on his current contract.
Can we lose a player of his experience, passion and history with arsenal football club? Especially given the transient nature of our club at present.
If Kos is gone but Mustafi still here in September I’m gunna be pissed.
Couldn’t agree more, get Mustafi away from our team, he exudes panic in our defence
I’m not sold on Umtiti as a replacement either. We’re already carrying one injury prone, overpaid world cup winner with nothing left to prove.
Koscielny should be seeing out his career at Arsenal. We’re cunts for not offering him something else. There are about 5 players ahead of him who we should be turfing out first.
@iamagoober
If it’s really a case of us not offering him a contract then I agree with your assertion but keep in mind he talked about leaving last year when Wenger did as the thought it would be a perfect time to move onto something else.
It might be a case of him wanting to go somewhere else before he retires – a slower/less physical league that might extend his career.
Give him a fucking year’s extension at least. Or maybe a one year extension with an option of another year. Get a decent CB in so he doesn’t have to play every game.
He’ still our best defender.
Sell Mustafi, send Mavpranos on loan. Keep the rest.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
My favourite player of the current squad! Would be sad to see him go, but if he can finish on a high with a trophy it would be a worthy farewell to a massive player for the club in recent years.
Umtiti for €60m? Well, wouldn’t mind him at all, but if that move scuppers our plans for the rest of the needed bit of business this summer, I would hope we look elsewhere.
Good player though and definitely an improvement on our current crop of defenders.
If umtiti can’t get a place in a poor Barcelona defense what on earth do we want him here for, I know he is a world cup winner but so is mustafi. We need better defenders than this.
He won’t even get a proper farewell 🙁
No one deserves it more than him. This man would die for the badge.
He really epitomized those famous Tony Adams words: “Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they will remember the name on the back”.
Hopefully he can get a farewell-match at the Emirates at some point. Otherwise he will just have to be proper saluted at the trophy parade when Arsenal return from Baku.
This is so true. The man gave of his heart game in and game out. This was best embodied, to me, just this season. I forget who we were playing, but we were up big and the game was put away. It was late in the game and Kos picked up a pretty decent knock where he was visibly hobbling and struggling to even walk. We were out of substitutions. I remember reading Papa’s lips as he told Kos, “Just go off” as he shrugged his shoulders. We had the game won after all. No need to risk body. But,… Read more »
It has to happen sooner or later….. I’m fine with this providing he’s adequately replaced.
I’d loan out Mavrapanos for the season to get some experience
Renew Bielik’s contract and have him as 5th choice centre back + Elneny’s replacement in midfield.
I’d sell Chambers for £25-30mill, try and sell Mustafi for £20mill, allow Koscielny to leave to free up some more wages, and try and get £10-12mill for Elneny.
That leaves Sokratis+Holding+Bielik
And leaves us hopefully £55-60million to pickup 1 quality experienced centre half+ younger centre half with big potential
Screw that. I’d just get the players to win all our games next season and win the quadruple. Sounds much simpler.
Said to my friend a few weeks back I had a bad feeling Kosc would angle for a move were we to win the EL- kinda makes sense for him. Don’t believe the Umtiti links but really don’t fancy him- especially not at 60m euros. Could have a fair crack at fully rebuilding the back line for that money.
One of the players that grew on me over the years since his poor 2-3 Seasons initially. If we can keep him for 2 more seasons on a reduced role where he is the captain and leader to stabilise things. He could play 1 game a week or 2, maybe 25-30 games a season. By that time, Holding, Guendouzi and other young players would have matured and formed the next spine of the first time. Our spine now is Leno, Kos, Ramsey (leaving), Lacazette. In 2 years time, it will be Leno, Holding, Guendouzi/Torreria, Lacazette. If we are not able… Read more »
May I also add on his drive, never say die and predator style strike in front of goal that scores us important goals in the past few years?
If he has a year left on his contract then I’m not that worried. I doubt we would let him go. For someone of his age it doesn’t seem unreasonable not to have offered to extend yet. That’s the way it’s always been when Arsene was in charge too.
So you didn’t see the comments from Raul about NOT letting contracts run down to a year, if the club wants to keep a player? Obviously things can still change and it’s as much down to the player as the club but time is running out to offer an extension. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did leave; the seed of leaving has already been sown from last season.
I did…but pretty certain he wasn’t talking about 34 year olds.
Agreed, considering his age and injury history, I’m relaxed about this.
I don’t think either the execs or Emery will let him go. The honourable thing for both parties is to keep him for the length of his contract, let him enjoy a CL with us, let him go on a bosman and get a decent signing on package from Monaco or someone.
We wouldn’t even make much from selling him now, with his age and contract length. There are far more negatives to letting him go now then selling him.
You may misunderstand me (or I wasn’t clear). I personally would like him to stay. If it’s a matter of reducing his playing duties like Kompany, he’d still have an impact.
But the club’s position, particularly from Ramsey, may not allow that. Plus he, as a player, may not wish to. He stated at the beginning of the season that he wanted to retire in France. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he and the club parted ways.
Kos is a boss. Two years on a incentives based deal would be a good option. BTW it’s hard to believe it’s 25 years since smudger mugged Parma
Love the guy, I hope we keep him for at least another year as that would mean hes been with us for 10 years and hopefully we give him a testimonial. This guy deserves one considering how he’s psychically, emotionally and mentally given it all for us and even missed the world cup because he got injured for us. Anyway if this is his last season, he has been utterly brilliant for us and I hope he goes out on a high lifting the Europa League trophy.
Would be gutted to lose him. Back to being one of the PL’s best since he returned from injury, the way he’s changed his game he reads it so well and is much less reliant on pace. He’s also one of the only characters in our squad with genuine leadership qualities. We should be pulling out all the stops to keep him, even if it is his wish to go – let him go next summer on a free for a last hurrah in France, we cannot afford to lose him this summer with the rebuilding job we’ve got on,… Read more »
What are we going to do without kos?
Hi Blogs, we’d appreciate it if you could change ths headline name from kos to mustafi.
Thank you.
Best 3 defenders at the club during my life time.
Adams.
Campbell
Koscielny.
In no particular order.
60m Euro?? I love Kos, but for that amount we should sell him. Just that I don’t believe that somebody will put that much money on the table.
Think you misread something there, mate..
Ha!
Nooooooooooo 🙁 One of few left who breathes for Arsenal when on the pitch. I know it makes sense with his injuries, but even if his gametime was managed, for example playing maximum of 1 game per week, then it still would better for us to keep him. Also all the young defenders (Holding, Chambers, Mavropanos, Bielik, Medley etc.) can learn a LOT from him. His experience really shows in his style of play, being more about about anticipating opponent’s next move, rather then going in aggressively, and without much thinking, like he used to when he first came (like… Read more »
Only now reading other posts after sending mine. It’s quite rare for so many fans to have such a united opinion on a player on this website. Someone should send link to these comments to Kos, might change his mind if he really wants to leave.
I cant see him joining Milan if Mustafi goes there. I bet he’d want an upgraded partner.
Poo meter must be jurassic right now. 60 mil on Umtiti haha i needed that laugh! Chelsea/Abramovich must have employed the KGB to spread fake news about us
Sign this man up.
He is one player I would gladly love to see him run down his contract. He has been very good this season and I think he will be very much needed next season. Please stay…
Wouldn’t be at all surprised, he’s been excellent this season but looks pained at the end of every game
As I mentioned. Some people have their heads up their arse too long. They let sentiment cloud their judgement. Like on Mustafi (more useful player to us then say Elneny or Jenkinson) but also on Jenkinson (not a useful player for us but some people prefer to think he is better than he is bc of his club allegiance) Koscielny will be an injury risk going forward next season. He is same age as Monreal but has more wear and tear issues. Again he has been great for the club over recent seasons but started off more shaky than Mustafi… Read more »
“Some people have their heads up their arse too long.”
Self-awareness is a good first step.
learn to parenthesis sanitary
bloody autocorrect …*finger guns*
Mustafi is a more useful or relevant player than Elneny or Jenkinson – no shit.
Mustafi as a regular fixture in our first XI when he makes such elementary, crushingly bad errors so regularly, that cost us so badly, is not something that our club can afford, irrespective of his pricetag and wages.
We all know he is a World Cup winner capable of outstanding games. We know this. Bur we must replace him at this stage. Be reasonable. Be serious.
They’re holding him together with sellotape and have been for a couple of years. He’s been great but he’s finished. That said, he’s still superior to German centreback we’re lumbered with. That said, who isn’t?
I’m sure I read awhile ago that ‘Kos’ wanted to finish his career at Lorient where he played before. It’s up to him really.
If either of Leverkusen or Milan are to have him it should be for Tah or Romagnoli with a tonne of cash extra. Bailey or suso might help too.
Our legendary captain shouldn’t be let go off for peanuts.