According to ESPN, Laurent Koscielny will today finalise a move to Bordeaux.
The Arsenal skipper has been keen to exit the club since refusing to go on the summer tour, and has spent weeks training with the youngsters.
Attempts to mend fences with the 33 year old have ended in failure, and whatever breakdown there has been over his contract appears now to be completely irreconcilable.
A fee of around €5m is being reported, with Arsenal unwilling to bend to the player’s desire to be allowed leave for free. The Frenchman signed a contract keeping him at the club until 2020 in 2017, and even posted about it on Twitter:
I'm pleased to announce you that i extend my adventure with Arsenal until 2020. #WeAreTheArsenal @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/RCTKqRO7aG
— Koscielny (@6_LKOSCIELNY) January 12, 2017
Whatever has happened is a real shame, as after nine years he’ll leave under a cloud.
We’ve yet to fully hear his side of the story, or why he thought he should be let go for free, but no doubt it will come out in the wash sooner or later.
Official confirmation could come today.
Love him. Will miss him.
Will miss him, but after all his shenanigans, find it hard to love him.
One wonders if his shenanigans are in response to shenanigans from our leadership.
If, for example, someone told you “I promise that at the end of the year a thing will happen”, then when you went to see them at the end of the year waffled “what does ‘promise’ even mean in today’s world anyway?” at you, you’d feel hurt and disappointed.
You’d probably want no more to do with them.
I’d personally want to know both sides of the story before judging him as this does seem out of character.
Robm, my employer has made literally dozens of promises over the years that they failed to deliver on. It’s something people in the real world have to deal with all of the time. Ordinary people just have to suck it up. I don’t see why I should have sympathy for a footballer who it happens to, who earns more in a week than I do in a year.
Kwame, my former employer made a lot of promises. That’s why they’re my *former* employer. I didn’t have to ‘suck it up’ and neither do you.
I don’t condone what Klos has done. It might be that if/when his side of the story comes out I think “FFS, really?”, but until I know his side I’m reserving judgement, balancing what I think about his actions now against his actions throughout the rest of his career with us.
I should have said ’employers’ as I meant all of them do it. You have to suck it up until you find a new employer at least….and that’s what Kos should have done. Going on strike (which is really what he did) is not acceptable regardless of what was said to him.
As I said, I don’t condone what he’s done. Regardless of how justified he might be in his dissatisfaction with the club I feel that he’s gone about expressing it the wrong way (though at least he’s not mouthing off in the press).
Regardless, for me, I’m going to try and remember the good moments over the bad.
My boss thought my name was Kevin and called me Kev for three months.
My name isn’t Kevin.
Hahaha, yeah right, because when those promises to you were broken you were really saying “damn it all if I didn’t love this company so much I’d leave them!”.
If you had reasonable alternatives you would leave to improve your situation, hating on the fact that Koscielny can just because you can’t is really quite pathetic. “If I can’t be happy why the fuck should be be allowed?!” Is what it sounds like you’re saying.
Bloody hello goonero, with that level of vitriol you should be worrying about your own happiness mate, not mine.
Right, you’re projecting here, I said nothing about your happiness, I just think it’s silly of you to use “people put up with shit from their employers all the time” as a condemnation of Koscielny, as if a) that’s a good thing and b) that’s not a situation anyone in the world who’s not some sort of masochist would rather avoid if possible. Most of us can’t afford to get things our way in the workplace. We’ve got bills and responsibilities and our options are fewer and farther between than your average international footballer, lifes not fair, shocking stuff! Fortunately… Read more »
“He doesn’t want to risk himself trying to deliver for this club anymore, that’s his choice”
Nope – it is not his choice.
While under contract he does not have the right to unilaterally decide when to call it quits. What he can do is put in a transfer request.
What are we even talking about his long-term health for? Is he retiring or something? Koscielny has been an absolute warrior for this club – but some of these excuses people are inventing for him are laughable.
A whole lot of assumptions there. The only facts we know, are that Kos signed a contract until 2020, but has wanted out since Arsene left. As a consequence, someone at the club might well have been forced to “bargain” with Kos about playing last season and maybe he perceives that deal has somehow been broken. But, circumstances change and as a professional footballer under contract, and let’s not forget a very well paid millionaire, we should be able to expect him to honour that and act in the best interests of his club.
its odd how some fans are so intent on being on his side and yet others have been treated differently.
I’m prepared to cut a player _some_ slack when they’ve been a good player for the club, played consistently as possible through the pain barrier, helped us win things, etc.
I’m not “on his side”, I’m simply suggesting that what is happening may be more nuanced than we might all thing.
It’s exactly because of his legacy and the position he had attained within the club, that I find his recent behaviour so hard to forgive. If anyone understands how damaging his manoeuvring is to the club’s efforts finally to build a competitive team, then it’s Kos and it’s going to take a lot more than nuance for me to see any justification in his actions. This is not some lowly employee, being screwed over by “the man”. This is a very wealthy and highly rewarded sportsman, with a whole team of professionals behind him. Whatever verbal agreement he thinks he… Read more »
Legacy.?????. He’s not Tony Adams or Frank Mcintock. Bang average at best.
Sorry, but every player at the club plays through the pain barrier. Carry on hoping some other fact comes out so you can use it to whitewash our club captain refusing to go on tour like a petulant mercenary. There’s no good explanation for wanting your contract terminated just so you can get a free transfer to a club in a nice part of France (and btw Bordeaux freed up a CB spot by selling a defender for 25m euros. Why should Arsenal give them a free replacement?). Promises? The best promise you can give a player like Koscielny who’s… Read more »
“Sorry, but every player at the club plays through the pain barrier”
*cough* Ozil *cough*
Exactly, this is the whole problem with your silly argument.
We don’t excuse unprofessional behaviour from Ozil. Why should we excuse it from the person who’s supposed to be the club captain? He’s supposed to set high standards.
A valid and professional CONTRACT, signed/renewed/extended by him…As a professional, you honour it, and it is for a year unlike most regular professional contracts. Pleeease!
they say time heals all wounds.. sometimes they are right.. we shall see.. but Kos have meant too much for this club to just be forgotten imo
I don
Sorry, new phone, lot of hitting the wrong key.
Won’t prevent from saying:
Good Riddance !
Sigh! I despair.
Likewise. What a shame it’s ended up like this.
Fuck him. He chose his own financial interests over the club that gave him his chance at the top level and turned his back on Arsenal when he was needed most. I don’t buy into the ‘we don’t know what was going behind the scenes’ crap. This about his own greed pure and simple. He was happy to sign a contract and reneged on it. Good riddance.
How do you know he’s leaving for money?!
Moving on
Yes…and now we are even shorter at the back. Get us a GOOD centre back ASAP please.
Like really…
Whatever it is and whatever happens I’ll not change my view on him. 9 great years and he leaves a legend to me. Glad that we are getting something for him too.
Lol, 9 “great” years that coincide with the worst defense Arsenal had in decades.
Sentiment is what brought us down.
Well without him in defense we would have been a freaking disaster. He really was a great defender. This whole ordeal sucks, but he was one of my favourite Arsenal players during that period.
Could have played for any club in the world to be honest, If he was good enough for France he was good enough for us.
A good player for us, but in no way a legend imo, especially not after this. 9 great years is also questionable considering his earlier consistency issues and his latter injury issues.
I dont know what happened, but its Arsenals fault.
I blame George Graham…
He was an action packed defender, but no legend. Cannot be compared against Tony Adams. His leadership abilities were severely lacking though and couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery. We’re weaker in defense now and I worry for us without reinforcements.
You’ve disagreed with yourself in your own comment.
And not being Tony Adams doesn’t make him a failure.
He didn’t say he was failure. He said he isn’t a legend, which he isn’t.
Where have I disagreed with myself? Can you read? Or are you defending him without questioning his time with us?
No player bigger than the club. Regardless of what’s gone on, his behaviour has been poor. Took the cash while he was injured happily enough. Let’s go and get a CB today.
Uhm perhaps some perspective here would be useful. This guy was a fckn warrior for us over the course of 9 years. He showed great strength and commitment to the club coming back from a horrendous injury last season to pull our shithouse defense together when it was truly fkd. Yeah, he made a mistake with the US tour debacle but calling him out for “taking the cash while injured” is way over the fucking line when you have a fucking bloodsucking leech on the team taking 350k a week home who doesn’t give a fuck about arsenal and who… Read more »
This started so well with the “some perspective here would be useful” bit
All is good to attack Özil, right? A pause between two attacks against Mustafi?
The difference is that Ozil doesn’t try. Kos has put his body on the line. Ozil is happy to collect a fat paycheck and do the bare minimum to earn it. Kos stayed longer than intended (due to injury) and geve his all after recovery and possibly through further injury to give the club his best.
This “why is it okay to attack Ozil argument is bullshit and needs to stop.
The perspective here is that whilst undergoing rehab for his long injury on full pay his agent came out and said he’d been planning to leave but instead stayed for contract security
It’s kinda shocking what he’s done when you lay it out like that
Feel better after your rant? I hope you do, because I don’t, especially after your use of “rape”. Perhaps you can need your own advice about “perspective”.
Yeah I do actually, and “raping” the club financially is a perfectly acceptable descriptive term when discussing the actions of Ozil and his 350k/wk wage packet. Ad in case you weren’t aware, the word “rape” does have multiple meanings…google is your friend perhaps…
“Let’s go and get a CB today.” Great. Is the centre back supermarket open? Seriously, negotiating a transfer isn’t quite like buying a tin of peas, and the closer the deadline gets the more leverage selling clubs have.
It doesn’t look as though we’re having much luck at the moment and the clock it ticking. Kos certainly needed to go, but it may be we’ll just have to stick with what we’ve got left which, if you think about what we’ve got left, isn’t a very encouraging prospect for next season.
Naah! Kos gave his all. His injury was occasioned by poor club management and cost him a World Cup. He is on contract even when injured. Do you expect to stop earning? Pure BS.
Good riddance.
Good (possibly great) player, glad we seem to have found a solution.
As for the circumstances, I’ve honestly given up on the idea of loyalty since van Persie. Seems all player movement inevitably involves unpleasantness, no point dwelling on it.
Very true. Lets keep the good memories.
No truer words have been spoken.
It took you that long? Loyalty died in Pro sports in the 90s…and even then it was in tatters. But loyalty from teams died about the same time so not all the players fault either. End of the day it’s the fans that get shafted… as always…
Will miss him. An injured Kos is still our best defender. Hope we replace him well and all the bitterness fades with time. Maybe we’ll someday look back at his contribution to us(and he realizes ours to his career) and be able to forgive everything that resulted to this situation.
Sad we couldn’t say a proper goodbye, but c’est la vie.
Good news – things were getting very acrimonious. The reported fee is much more realistic than the double figure “LaLa Land” fee in earlier reports (who’d pay that for a 33 year old with injury problems … get real).
I wish him well, but it’s good he’s (almost certainly) going for all parties. His departure puts more pressure on for bringing in a quality centre back, probably on loan – unless we can offload a few players for reasonable money very quickly.
All the best Kos! Shame it had to end this way
Also, full marks to the club for standing its ground on this. At the end of the day, as an Arsenal player, he’s an asset and the club is fully entitled to move him on at the price they deem right!
Any sell on clause?
According to the paper Sunday Sport we are entitled to receive 10 percent of his monthly pension and 30 % of any eventual Bingo wins after his retirement. In case he wins non-monetary prizes at Bingo, we are entitled to a sell on fee of 15 percent in case he sells them online inside of the first five years after winning or 5 percent if he sells them person to person. In case he tries to sell them by renting a booth at a flea market we have to be informed and have first right to purchase as long as… Read more »
Its this kind of searing insight which makes Arseblog news great. Won’t be long before this post is picked up and reported verbatim by The Sun.
Where’s Rambling Pete? What did you do to him?
brilliant.
epic.
A bit of an awkward break up, but let’s not let it overshadow all those years he gave us, with some very important goals on top of that.
Also happy the club showed some ruthlessness about this deal, because it’s very much needed.
If it wasn’t for injuries, Vermaleen was by far a better defender. This was the reason why Barcelona signed Vermaleen.
Could you now elaborate on why Barcelona signed Song?
Cause they’re big dum dums
You Dum Dum give me Gum Gum
We needed an upgrade on him much sooner.
I for one don’t care much about his problems with the club. What’s important is that we should get a quality replacement.
But yeah, I guess it would’ve been nicer to part ways on more friendly terms.
Just go already. You were one of my favourite players and to see you act like a petulant child – with complete disregard to the fans who have supported you over the years – well, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It’s not like you were asked to do hard manual labour for a year in abhorrent conditions. No, you get paid a kings fortune, have everything you could wish for in a city like London and yet you could not wait a single year longer for your dream holiday lifestyle in France. Which is just a short… Read more »
My sentiments exactly. Good riddance.
What a shame. I prefer to remember all the good things he did. The fourth place securing goals, the FA Cup final goal in that remarkable turnaround, the keeping quite of many a top striker.
He’s served the club well, is on his last legs and clearly needs to play less games, or less intense games, for his own good now.
I hope his side of the story doesn’t completely ruin things as this whole debacle has tainted what was previously a very professional, respectful and committed time with us.
He also acted weird after france won the world cup while he got injured…I dont know..seems a bit mental kos…but he’s a fighter and was a great servant to afc.
That’s true – that injury must have been very hard on him
What do you mean he “acted weird”? Genuine question, I’d be interested to know.
I remember him saying he was upset and that he found it hard to watch France win without him, and the stories that he had planned to leave Arsenal before his injury, but I don’t remember him acting weird.
He said he kind of wanted France to lose without him.
I’ve said severally , even if koz played for arsenal under18, i will always respect him. he served with hearts and guts, go look up most goals he scored for us, they were risk of him bieng injured, yet he took those risk, ozil, miki, mustafi will never put their body at risk to scores goals, that would bring us back into the game. an alas even mustafi earned more than koz. it definitely out of his character, he is not a kid, he was rushed back to injury last season bcos some players could not defend and the board… Read more »
Put yourself in his shoes, contemplating the prospect of lining up next to Mustafi…
…as Kurtz whispered in Apocalypse Now, “The horror….the horror…”
A fully fit pairing of Kos and Sok would have been solid enough to fight for top 4 this season, his shenanigans aside. nice ambigram too: Kossok/Sokkos Oh well, too bad. Way to go captain. You’ve burned bridges with the french NT and now you’ve done the same with Arsenal. Enjoy your retirement home in Bordeaux. but since this is a season of rebuild and youth where we have an outside chance of a top 4, its perfectly fine. Another of the old wenger guard is out the gate, additional 5m quid to the war chest and 100k/w salary cap… Read more »
Sok off.
‘What doesn’t come out in the wash comes out in the rinse’
Nas
‘No Bad Energy’
The Lost Tapes 2
The choir sample is brilliant, has me zoning out.
PS: Bye Kos…
That’s more than what we got for Schezney.
We got for €12m for Szczesny. Still a terrible deal.
The good thing is that we’ve signed three quality defenders, so we won’t miss him.
We have 6 players for central defence now, so numbers-wise we’re fine. As Emery said, it’s more an issue of finding an improvement in quality. It’s a very difficult market at the moment, with Ake even being priced at 75 million, so it won’t be a shock if we can’t find someone.
Can we stop with the “but he tweeted he’d stay till 2020” crap. Look at Arsene, he famously vowed he’d never break a contract, but he left a year short of his too didn’t he? And let’s not change the story post fact; he very much chose to walk, he was not ushered out by the club, obviously the fans and media played a role but that’s not the point, it was ultimately his choice. A lot of shit can change in a year. If you’re going to start shitting on club legends (yes, Koscielny is a club legend fight… Read more »
Spot on, sir. The way the club played him way too frequently when he was limping – something that this website has gone into detail about as well – he sure doesn’t need any stick from me. We don’t know what’s happened, and it’s not pretty, but I’ve stood up in a meeting, quit my job, and walked out the door. Things rarely happen for *no* reason.
I’m guessing it was because we pushed him to play way past him physical limit having come back from major injury.
Which reminded him of how Arsene would never have allowed this to happen and why he insisted on leaving when Arsene left. Only to be told by a desperate Gaz to stay for one more season and if we don’t make the Champions League he can leave on a free.
Then Gaz splashes cash on attackers in Jan and even a loan signing was a midfielder. Leaving them to put pressure on Kos. Then what happens in the summer. We sign two attackers…
He’s done enough for us really. ‘‘Tis only a game of ball. “ when I was younger I’d got all upset about this kind of stuff but as you get older you occasionally get wiser too. He wanted a change of scenery and pace. We were never gonna give it to him so he did what was right for him unlike when offers from Bayern ,Utd etc were there in his prime. Good luck to him. Ironically his leaving May force the board to buy an upgrade anyway and it may benefit us going forward
I will miss him. Great player with exceptional heart.
I’m certain, as blogs has pointed out, we must have a replacement tee’d up, otherwise this wouldn’t be sanctioned.
Can’t wait to find out who it is? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a name no one has mentioned in the media.
Over to you Mr Ornstein… enlighten us.
Good luck mate, thanks for all you did for our club …
I will not judge him on what has happened because we do not know what has gone on behind the scenes and there are two sides to every story …
Sokratis -30yrs++, main centerback until Saliba is ready, safely estimating in 2 yrs time Holding – 24yrs, once he has fully recovered, will be first choice centreback, probably future captain too Chambers- 25 yrs, his versatility is invaluable, as long he doesn’t mind being on the bench, not as 1st eleven, depends on Emery’s game plan, 2 or 3 centrebacks Saliba – Future 1st choice, no doubt about that and hopefully he will remain injury free to fulfill the expectation Konstantinos – Prolong injury issue, yet to show his full potential, Mustafi – regardless playing or not he wants to… Read more »
My views: Sokratis: OK, but far too volatile – even at his age/experience. Who gets sent off in a friendly game for goodness sake! He’ll almost certainly be missing at important parts of the season because he hasn’t got the self-control, along with the aggression, that’s needed. Holding: yes, looks the part and could be a future “proper” captain (assuming Emery drops his “five captains” nonsense). Chambers: certainly versatile (played in midfield for Fulham on loan) but he’s very average, which is presumably why Fulham didn’t make an effort to sign him even though he was their player of the… Read more »
Good luck Boss. Thanks for the years and sorry for some of the idiots you’ve had to play alongside. The partnership with Big Per was, although not world beating, something we all got on board with.
Moving on. Ornstein said in his tweet we’re hopeful on a CB, likely this Rugani or Upamecano. Either is fine (the latter hopefully), we just need a half competent CB at this point.
But the world has gone absolutely barmy if Juventus’ FOURTH choice CB is worth £50m+ or whatever it is they want.
Great servant for the club and can only wish the best for him. With Kos leaving and Jenko by the looks of it, unless they have completely lost their minds, AFC must be in advanced talks with regards to signing 1 or hopefully 2 defenders before deadline day.
Good riddance
it was brexit, wasn’t it Kos? sniff….
I’m told he’s had a gutful. Wenger wore him out. To be fair, Wenger wore me out too
I can’t believe the criticism of this guy he is obviously at the physical end of his career and has over nine years given his best in a declining team and carried the can for season upon season of awful defensive performances he is a true gent and what we don’t know is how long and how many discussions and promises he had by the so-called management team, i mean does anybody truly understand the management structure at this American corporation? I have watched the big stars threaten to leave every summer for decades and like all fans had to… Read more »