According to The Telegraph, Laurent Koscielny will be the next Arsenal first team star to be offered a new contract.
The 28-year-old committed his long-term future to the club as recently as July 2012 but with Arsene Wenger eager to tie down the core of his squad to new deals it appears his fantastic form will earn him a decent pay rise.
Last summer the accordion-loving French international, who moved to London from Lorient in 2010, called on the club to start challenging for honours warning an annual battle for Champions League qualification is not the sum of his career ambition.
Having warded off the challenge of Thomas Vermaelen to becomes, alongside Per Mertesacker, one of the first names on the Gunners teamsheet and with Arsenal currently pushing for silverware on two fronts it appears any lingering doubts about the direction of the club have been settled.
Talk of negotiations with Koscielny comes in the aftermath of new deals for Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky and Per Mertesacker.
Sign him up
The pessimist might start to wonder whether signing all these players up to long-term contracts is in some ways a ‘parting gift’ of sorts from Wenger – ensuring that the core of the squad are tied in for the years ahead, rather than the situation among the ruins of Old Trafford.
Me, I’m hoping that Wenger’s new contract is announced on the occasion of his 1,000th game… That, and the three points (spoiling Morinho’s home record in the process) would make it one hell of a week.
On the other hand, if a new guy was coming in surely he would be the one to decide who he wanted to keep and the length of contract. Why give a player 5 years if a new guy is coming who may not have plans for the player
suppose we could get more money for them if they do get tapped up if they are tied into long term contracts..
Kos for me is one of the most important signings we will do this year. It’s essential that we keep him.
Didn’t they regularly say a while ago that they would announce the new contract on the day of the 1000th game?
And Wenger has much more class than Fergie. Ozil signed to work with Wenger so it would be a bit of a Fergie move to sign a quality player under the assumption he’ll get to develop under Wenger – and then leave after a season. Wenger doesn’t have it in him to do that…I hope!
#ButWhatAboutSagna
What about Jack?? For a fully fit squad i can’t see Jack on the bench let alone the 1st team. He’d not a 10 – Ozil, Rosicky, Cazorla, can all do the job better I would have Diaby, Aaron, Rosicky, Chamberlain ahead of him in the attacking midfield roles In fact you could argue that he might be a blocker for getting zelalem and gnabry onto the bench. He’s clearly too good for the reserves and can’t build a career on other peoples injuries (Well at arsenal he well may) – I fear he may be tapped up after a… Read more »
And I thought @GreekGunner was the only pessimist reader here 😀
What is pessimistic? i am only wondering aloud what role Jack has at the club? he will expect to be first choice at the club next year and i simply dont see him as our first or second choice. considering Jack Wilshere as a luxury is as far from pessimism as you can get.. Its a problem – the way he plays means he will always get injured – and as he slows down he will get more and more injured. i.e he will always get kicked. and that’s not the kind of player you can build a team around.… Read more »
I do agree that Jack has often been shit this season but do you remember how he played as an 18 year old alongside Song and Cesc for a whole season? That was before all these injuries happen. When he gets over them he will start pushing on again and will become a great player in the future.
The problem is knowing what kind of position suits Jack.
Is a defensive mid? Not really, and he doesn’t see his future there.
Is he a ‘number 10’? You could argue that he doesn’t score enough or create enough.
Is he a wide player? No.
He will be great for us but needs to find his niche.
I agree – but who is he better than in the current pecking order i suggest?
I mean would you have him before TR7 or Diaby?
Do you think he’ll be better than OX and zelalem when the time comes to move thomas to the pantheon of arsenal greats where he can spend infinity basking in the eternal glory of bergkamp?
Where does he fit?
Double 98, comparing Jack to Zelalem and the Ox is futile. Neither have been played consistently enough for anyone to make a fair judgement on them. Zelalem has impressed in small cameos, his confidence and skill showed a maturity beyond his years and experience. Funnily enough this is exactly what Jack did when he broke into the team. The Ox has also been used much more sparingly than either Jack or Aaron were in their early seasons. And to be fair as much love as I have for the Ox, he can sometimes be a bit, you know, shit. But… Read more »
Sarson.. Have you ever seen cesc play? he and Jack are completely different. Jack is not a play maker. he is not a conduit – he is reactive Fabregas has a panoramic vision and awesome spacial awareness and footballing brain. Ozil is the closest we have to him. Ive never seen that capability in Jack – he is a sporadic ball carrier, a tactical weapon. he plays with his heart and relies on his 5 yard pace to get him through challenges. He is our steven gerrard, a highlights player who can stand out in a game by doing 10… Read more »
If you don’t think Jack is a playmaker then I totally agree with your assessment that there’s no place for him in this team. I also think you’re possibly a bit nuts 😉
and still no-one has learnt the lesson that Ramsey has taught…. Jack is brilliant and is only going to get better. Where can he play? Anywhere in midfield… He is great at a deep lying midfield role, carrying the ball forward. He is one of our best players on the ball in a tight situation and the plays he sees are awesome. They are both still learning but I see Ramsey & Wilshere anchoring midfield in the future Cazorla or Ozil infront and Walcott / Ox on the wings or something along those lines. Plus, we need 10 midfielders, not… Read more »
He’s too old to not know exactly what he is…
He may be a bit of an all rounder as you suggest but that just equates to a subs role
here’s the kicker @double 98. He doesn’t have to know what he is. Arsene does.
He can and will play wherever he is put. That’s what makes a good player.
Not sure how that equals a substitute player, but even if it does. nothing wrong with that. Gotta love a bit o’ depth
No offense mate, but Shut the fuck up about Jack! I bet you were among those screaming for Ramsey’s head last year too.
Jack is a future Arsenal legend. A slump in form and you want him offloaded? He’s got talent and commitment, the two most important things you look for in a player, in abundance. NOBODY can keep an in-form Jack out of the team. Just be patient.
Well i wasn’t calling for ramsay’s head. or song or eboue or arshavin or denilson or almunia or santos. i am not calling for Jacks head. i am patient. I support the guys wearing the shirt and have faith in wenger. my point was that in a fully fit squad I DON’T THINK that he gets on the team or the bench and as such i am worried about him leaving. He’s too good to be not playing for a top team. You can disagree but do you really need to tell me to “Shut the fuck up” He is… Read more »
This guy has become a serious boss. Deserves a new contract.
Sagna needs to be signed up too. Long service to the club through difficult times, still one of the best defenders in the world. Just give him his 3 year contract at £150k pw already. Man deserves it! Seeing quotes like him being offered £75k pw is just embarrassing.
I’m 100% certain the issue with Sagna isn’t purely monetary: I think he’s probably missing home a bit, I think he’s desperate for some silver wear and on top of that I think he might just be ready to move on. Obviously though, the money will be a big factor. Here’s my two pence: we’re not paying him slave wages, despite what people may believe. I think offering our 31 year old right back 150,000 per week (which could rise to nearly 175,000 with bonuses) is irresponsible and pretty stupid – that could be nearly 10 million per year. We’re… Read more »
Well, Bergkamp willing, Sagna will have won two pieces of silverware with Arsenal by the end of this season, so if he decides to move on, I would understand. New challenge, more long-term monetary security, etc.
Bergkamp willing indeed.
Bosscielny!!!!! Tie him up
Tying up is what Kos does to the oppostion 😉
Let’s hope Sagna signs and the core team will be complete.
And then the return of Abou…
More importantly, what about Tim Sherwood?
Well, he’s a Gooner, nothing more to say…
I hope he stays at Sp*rs forever and ever and ever …
He isn’t in it for the money…It’s all about “passhun” for him..
Him and Moyes to stay right where they are for all eternity.
“passhun” and the throwing around of one’s clothes, like a baby.
My only hopes for next season are that Sagna, Sherwood and Moyes stay exactly where they are.
Tim the only Gunner who is a cunt? He is sentenced to white fart lane for eternity
Unfortunately not the only c**t. piers bloody morgan. I use lower case for his name on purpose.
They must have given up on Sagna so….
coz they left Kos til last as they know that he will have Dick Law in his pocket for years after the negotiations
Maybe Dick Law can sign a few strikers while he’s in there.. of course he’ll have to wriggle past last weeks strikers soldildo and adebitchwhore before he gets to some decent ones
Mentioning Soldildo… I saw a guy on the tube wearing a Spuds shirt, the name on the back? Goaldado….HAHAHAHAHA!
Tim Sherwood?
I guess he definitely throw his outer when his zipper became out of control.
Something good is brewing at the arsenal…
It is raining contracts at Arsenal. Next who? the Tea lady?. Hope they are smoking the right things there:)
Amazing!
But
What about Sagna?
Arsene is slowly building for….. WORLD DOMINATION!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (that’s my cartoon villain laugh)
You’d wanna work on that.. get a bit more punch in at the start and build up to the laugh..
MMMAAWWHAHAHAHAHAHA
otherwise it just looks like a LOL
More importantly, is Arsene building for himself? Might he call it quits? At his age there could be medical concerns we don’t know about.
Who could replace him?
Moyes should be free this summer…
Seriously?
Martinez?
people talk up Laudrup but he bounces from club to club, a worrying sign.
Pochettino?
Some obscure guy from japan
Bould?
It’s probably too early to talk of such things. As far as I’m concerned, any talk of Wenger going is taboo; it feels so wrong to even mention it.
If we’re looking at replacements, we’ve got to see how things shape up in years to come. Personally, I’d like to see change come internally, so we can continue to play our style of football. I think it would make the transition that much better when he does eventually leave us.
Externally, football is such a strange thing. In 10 years time, Clarence Seedorf could be the new Pep!
Koz, who does not give a toss.
Runs his danger area like a Boss!!
Legend in the making 🙂
If Koscielny had defended the Alamo, the battle would still be going on today.
Great comment
Sometimes, i just skip the news part here and jump straight to comments to find hillarious one. I often am not dissapointed.
Give Sagna a new contract#signhimup
SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA SAGNA
sorry, what did you say? I could not hear you…
For all the creativity that has just signed new deals, Kos could be the most important signature of all. Every top side in Europe has bundles of creative type players to choose from if you got the £££, but solid world class centre halves are rarer than rocking horse shit!
Ok , yesterday i praised you, but today i dont agree
“and the longer it goes on, the more you have to think him not signing that extension is a possibility.”
how do you deduce that dear blogger?
Why not just go with the evidence you have the last 18 years. Loyalty. Why the need to encourage any worries that he may not sign ? Just for the sake of writting and filling up space?
Frigging hell. The quote you use actually answers your question! Read it back to yourself… properly. Then think about it a bit. Then come back and tell me when you’ve worked it out!
Hmmmmm …..Oh thank you…… i hadnt read it you see……. the more you have to think about the possibility of him not signing … why even think of that possibility? just cause he aint signing? what if he aint signing so as to remain focused on the job at hand? why is his delay in signing linked with a possibility of him leaving ? Maybe he wants to scare the fans a bit after their disgraceful acts the last few years and keep them squirming till last minute. I dont see why a delay should immediately be linked with a… Read more »
So now both Mert and Kos have signed long contracts eh? Fantastic! Ever since they teamed up in defense, my nerves have calmed down considerably. I’m no longer a wreck whenever I see a free kick or throw in on our half.
Sign Le Ting
Mertesacker could realistically play on for a long time at the top level. There’s no concern about his pace going. As long as his judgement and anticipation stay sharp, he could be here to welcome Koscielny’s son into defence with him.
Hate to say it, but I think Jacks too busy walking round with a ‘bad man’ attitude to be a world class footballer.
He’ll either grow up fast, or end up with a career like Jermaine Pennant.
I’m not sure Jack really has himself down as a tough guy, there’s more humour in him than that. But he seems serious about his game, and I suspect he’s a generally positive influence. In interviews he comes across as thoughtful and balanced. Arsene, who doesn’t tend to suffer fools, seems a big fan.
I’m sure Kos will stay. He’s been Wenger’s best signing in recent years in terms of value for money. I was just looking at the fixture list and having a think about the current situation with the Premier League title. It looks like things are shaping up to be the tightest finish in years. The four clubs each have their advantages and disadvantages which could affect their chances of taking the title. Here, in my opinion, are the pros and cons for each team: CHELSEA: Pros: 1. Have a manager who has been there and done it recently. 2. Have… Read more »
Agree with most of that except the myth that Arsenal collapse in Spring.
well Pete, please forgive some of our fans who consider the psychological fragility of the youth as a stick to beat the manager with. You see this spring collapse is the parachute and/or life-jacket for the doomer to turn and say in the end : “wenger not good enough to motivate his players”. As if cesc and co not being able to psychologically own drogba lampard giggs and vidic on the pitch is a crime. Dont know about you but to me it seems pretty normal that 19 and 20 and 21 yearolds would shit their pants in games were… Read more »
I actually hold Liverpool as favourites due to their momentum and easy run in. They have games at home vs Chelsea and City, and if they win those it’s practically in the bag. Normally, I’d prefer Liverpool over Chelsea and City, but since we’re still in it ourselves I just can’t stand the thought of anyone else grabbing it now. Also, the arrogance from that douchebag of a Liverpool owner last summer means I really don’t want him winning the bloody title. That would be terrible! Then again, a happy Mourinho or Nasri wouldn’t be much better. In other words:… Read more »
Damn it all. Thinking about a happy Mourinho made me so frustrated I forgot how to type: “I really hope we win it.”
You point out Chelsea have trouble scoring goals. If they lose Hazard to injury then they’ll really have problems scoring, they rely on him too much, what with Maureen playing four DMs and Hazard in midfield.
And I think the FA cup is good for us. We’re favourites to win, and winning the semi and the final should give the players a boost, and the confidence that they can go on and win the league.
I havent signed it yet because want sagna to join me… Then we both sign together…may be three with Wenegr too…may be four Podolski anyone??…May be five of us Fabianski changing his mind??…May be 6 with Bendtner?? No!!! I ll take 5
Koscielny….. not even Chuck Norris can break him down
Great news for the stability and the defensive part of the team. Please bring us a new right back if Sagna decides to evaporate, Jenkinson is not enough to play in the PL for AFC.
That and a proper “big game” forward and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a winning team!
so deluded….
We’ll need 17 new players this summer to just make top-four next season.
Sign him up! Let’s do this. Let’s build the invincibles 2.0.
What’s with all this advertising junk, now?
It’s because running this site costs money. Hosting costs, paying writers, producing a couple of podcasts a week (inc hosting for that), a daily blog, columnists, news seven days a week and more doesn’t just happen by magic.
If you don’t like the advertising you’re free to ignore it, but it’s how we keep things going for the most part. Without it there would be no site.
Remember when we went all contract crazy and gave denilson, bendtner and diaby big new deals as we were sure theyd be future stars? The players we have now are better but signing players to big deals doesnt always Work out as well as you plan it to. denilson was banging in goals from 40 yards at the time and Diaby was ‘the next viera’ Its all good and well to be optimistic but I think we should be focusing on the here and now afterall this is our best chance to win something in years. I would have preferred… Read more »
On the other hand, you could pay them peanuts and watch them fuck off to Barca, Man $ity, Chelski, …
So Accordion to the telegraph, Kos is up next for a trip to the contract dungeon.
Shut up about Jack you inadequate clowns! This is good news about Laurent. No joke. *keeps coat*
Great news. Off topic a bit (sorry), but we need someone to make a stand. Samuel Eto’o is a cheat. Why? Well, check his last two games. Eto’o has lost a bit of pace, but is still very quick over the first five yards. He will do the following (Maureen will start him, I’m sure). 1. Stay barely onside and on the shoulders of the defence (fair enough). 2. Make a quick dart in behind (well done etc). 3. If he manages to get there first, he will slow his run. He will almost stop. He’s hoping the player behind… Read more »
how does any of that make eto’o a cheat?
Arsenal players run across the front of defenders all the time, it’s what you do when you get in front of somebody.
God forbid Eto’o tries to win the game for his team.
Maybe your just not used to seeing a striker run in behind…
Hopefully Wenger wil sign a new contract too. (I hope that this flurry of extensions isn’t a prelude to him leaving).
I love Kos but the one thing he must change are those goal celebrations. He should stick to the BFG style fist pump.
Just out of interest..if man u win the CL and we come 4th do we play Europa next season? After all the stick we have given them I would devastated if that happened.
Can anyone shed any light on this?
Yes