As usual, Arsenal were a bit short on details regarding the contract of Laurent Koscielny, going the normal “long term deal for an undisclosed fee”, but we do have some tidbits to pass along.
The official signing has been reported at somewhere between £8.5m and £10m. Rumored to be on a four year deal and £25,000 per week, Koscielny’s rise to The Arsenal has been rather meteoric. Yeah, sure, he was playing in Ligue 2 just 2 years ago, but clearly Lorient spotted something in the 6’1″ central defender when they bought him last year for just 1.7m Euros. What they spotted, and more importantly what Arsene Wenger spotted was a player who’s got some grit about him, likes a good challenge and certainly is up for the tackle. In fact, Koscielny led all of Ligue 1 this past season in tackles. During the 2008/09 campaign, Koscielny was voted Player of the Year by his fellow footballers in Ligue 2. At 24 he might appear to be a late bloomer (to rise to the attention of Arsenal or a Ligue 1 side), but I think it’s more a matter of being noticed late on rather than developing slowly. Central defenders have long careers, and I think we got our man at just the right time in experience and development for him to be an integral part of the back four for years to come.
Said Wenger of the signing: “”Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient. We identified him as a very strong centre half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he’s a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad.”
Weighing in at roughly 165 pounds, Koscielny does appear to be in need of a good months’ worth of English breakfasts to add some bulk to deal with the likes of a Drogba or Anelka. Like Vermaelen though, Koscielny has very good positional awareness and speed, is an excellent header of the ball when clearing and sweeps the danger area well as last man.
There’s been plenty of debate around the Arsenal blog universe as to whether Koscielny will step right into a starting role next to Vermaelen, or if he’s to be a rising substitute until he gets his Premiership legs under him. I think Arsenal will continue to move aggressively this summer on transfers. I know it’s a bit frustrating for all of us at how quiet Arsenal are publicly about such things, but clearly there will be some more moves and the central defender position could yet see another addition to add experience, especially if Sol Campbell does not return. With Djourou also in the mix, there will be ample competition to prove who belongs next to The Verminator this season and beyond.
Kit wise, Koscielny will take up the historic #6 shirt.
Here is Koscielny’s official website where you can see some good action fotos and a couple vids. Unfortunately it’s all in French, so you’ll have to do some Google or babelfish translations if you want to read the full write ups and whatnot.
first sensible article I have seen about Koscielny
on the transfer front
I think if sol stays then we wont need an extra defender and Schwarzer will be the next addition to the squad that I am sure about
but if sol leaves then wenger will move for a defender there are reports about us buying tasci but any good defender will be welcomed
on the cover for Song – Norvedit is back after his loan in bundesliga and he played all season as a DM there so he can cover for song if needed
He looks a really strong player good physique i think he can work well with djourou and vermaelen.
The problem is the 4th defender we need a bit part defender with quality i dont see many available
We do strive to be sensible, Andrew. 🙂
Nordveit will have his shot this season to earn first team minutes, no doubt. I rate him and would love to see him solidify the backup role to Song.
Regarding Schwarzer, I’m not 100% convinced he’ll be the GK addition. He may very well be, but I think there are some other keepers out there. The Eduardo thing might still be a possibility. I know he jetted off to Genoa, but that deal has not been completed as yet and AW might just step in and snatch him up.
@Andrew. Been living in Switzerland for about 5 years, so I’m fluent in french. I’ll translate an article or two if you want.
Koscielny’s pretty average. Saw him in a few games last season, didn’t look very good.
Wenger’s made a real mess of this summer so far. Time for him to go.
That’s the spirit, Jimbo! The transfers stink & we should fire Wenger!
We welcome all views here at AFCB. Fortunately, we don’t have to take all views seriously.
Jimbo / You did not watch Koscielny last season. You are a pathetic liar. Emphasis on pathetic.
Actually we still need another experience CB and 1 first team GK to replace almunia.. For our DM we can count on Song and Eastmond or maybe Nordtveit for back up or convert Djourou to DM/CB (he can play well for both position).. For attacking midfield, we have a lot of great skill players like nasri, arshavin, walcott, barazitte, rosicky, wilshere.. unless cesc will leave us, we don’t need to add new player cause we still have Ramsey and Lansbury..
But please wenger, if you are aware (which i’m sure you are), just sell useless player like denilson, almunia, and bendtner..
rudygooner
Bendtner scored 11 goals in 13 games for us last season and that was after coming straigth from injury
I am not sure many 22 can do that at the highest level
Denilson is not a DM we all know this but he has been used in that position. I think if denilson plays alongside song then you will see that he actually recovers the ball and spread the play better than anyone we have
@Jimbo youre an idiot I think most gunner dont realise that if wenger goes so will players like fabregas, van persie, clichy, song and many more
and we will stop attracting the most talented youngsters
if wenger leaves us forget about us being the CL we wont even be in the top10
I think wenger has been overachieving with the players we had and his hand has been freed since last year and he has signed some very good player in that time
I think Glory days are not far away
Is it not weird that all the guys who say that Arsene should leave Arsenal are the same guys who have very little knowledge about the Economics of the game and how Arsene is the only manager (You can add Martin O Neill and David Moyes) with the wherewithal to survive any sort of an financial meltdown that UK and the world will probably go through..
On the day that Barcelona has taken a £125 million loan to pay the player’s wages and United’s “Faithful Red Knights” claim that the club is in too much debt to make it a good investment, we should be grateful that we have a manager who not only has a masters in Economics, but also makes use of that knowledge wisely.
P.S – It’s amazing that the Knights are asking for £2500 from every season ticket holder, considering that the season ticket sales are at an all time low.. and David Cameron’s taxes are at an all time high
Thanks Arsene.I don’t know about Koscielny but i know Arsene is good at spotting what he wanted.So i will wait till i see him play and then will comment about him.I believe he always had chosen the best guys.Gallas,Campbell,Toure,Sagna,Vermaelen,Djourou,Clichy,Ashley Cole,Gibbs.Forget abt Senderos .I expect this guy to be a big hit too.
It’s great. Two very very important signings so far and both with the potential at least of being big players for us – and without Le Boss breaking the bank. That’s smart business. The one thing is it mustn’t stop there. We absolutely must get a new GK. I don’t think Schwarzer’s the man for the job personally. He’s good – better than what we’ve got now – but I think we can do better still. We also still need another defender so that when the inevitable injuries start piling up we’re not left relying on sub standard rejects like Silly was.
My GK pick would be David James or Pepe Reina – partly because they’re both Prem league experienced so know what to expect from certain players to an extent.
Hey mike as i told you it is Netherlands vs Spain. I told you i have a spritiual link with the Psychic octopus Paul.
Denilson cannot be regarded a useless player in Arsenal squad today and in the near future
Did you check out the pic’s on his site? He is a leaper – can really get up in the air on headers…
Yeah Arsene should go, I have personally told Wenger to sign Mr T to replace Almunia and Lindsay Lohan to play the holding role in case Cesc goes.
guys why are we in football is it to win trophies and balance the books or to do one of them it appears that wenger has done one not both i think wenger is a fantastic manager but how long can we go on saying next year we have not won a trophy in six years how could you guys make excuses for this that is not acceptable anytime there is competition for a player arsenal will never win 2 reasons they dont pay good wages and they have not won anything wenger could never coach anyother club but arsenal because they would never accept this
voley_gun – I bow to your superior metaphysical connections to Paul the Octopus. 😉
The world cup has been awesome expect for the vuvuzela’s but it takes time to get over it. I watch the netherlands vs brazil game it was sad to see rvp not been at his best and heartbreaking “the invisible wall “gilberto silva international time ended, it could be of his age. He has been a great contribute to arsenal dissapointing I still felt he could of offer more for the last 2 seasons for us.Anyway at least we have rvp and cesc in the final, thumbs cross for netherlands win.
@jimbo you are the biggest fool ever come across afcb.how can you spill that rubbish about wenger,the man kept our club going for years,he single handly build emilate and training ground for us and still kept us strong financially.@kel u are the second fool who refuse to reason with his head not the eyes.wenger was the first choice for madrid before the likes morinho and others.our financial statue comes first before trophies we don’t wish to see our dear club begging for loan to sort out player’s wages like barca is now doing or asking for a new buyer to rescue us from financial mess.
Hi Arsenal fans. Its the World Cup season. Who are u guys supporting for the final? Spain or Holland?
I’f got a few good questions for all of you guys here.
Need some good answers too.
Why do you guys support Arsenal?
Why does anybody support the big 4-5 in the ‘English Premier League’ ?
What good is this so called most ‘challenging’ league in the World when the big 5 consist of a minimum of 70% imports / non English ?
Should the name of the league be changed to ‘World Premier League’ in the future?
Are most of you guys supporting Arsenal, French?
How do u guys feel of the early exit and the lousy performance from England in the World Cup?
Do you think it has anything to do with the structure of the Big 5 (top five clubs in EPL) ?
What is the purpose of The EPL?
Answers needed A.S.A.P
@ chris
your a cunt
Oh come on Gunner_till_I_die i’m sure you must know why u support Arsenal. Give me something substantial. I need answers that show that Arsenal fans know their ‘thang’.
“Your a cunt” answer just shows that an ARSENAL fan doesn’t know what he supports.
Germany and Spain have shown the class of their league in both Champions league and the World Cup. ENGLAND?
What does England have to prove? They played ever so poorly with the likes of the so called ‘golden generation’. What is Arsenal’s contribution to English football? What good are these so called big ‘five’ if the country doesn’t benefit whatsoever?
A football club that has no culture what so ever and are heavily based on imports are not clubs worth watching but merely clubs that impersonate the term ‘fantasy football’. If u wanted fantasy football, why don’t you just play Football Manager or Fifa 10?
English Premier League is bad for English football. The big four can shout and scream the chants that they are ‘The Best’ all they want, but at the end of the day, the stars that make their team are mostly imports. I’m laughing my ass out loud looking at what Man City are doing. Now, u even have a mini Real Madrid in your league. Congrats, should i wish?
Brothers and sisters, finally i would like to ask u a final BOLD question. Which club is the best club in the World at the moment? A club that consist of 70-80 percent local boys of which (6)six of them are starting for their country. A club that preserves culture, yet dominates the World of Football. Answer that question to yourself. I’m sure you know that answer. That’s also the main reason why most of you boys Support Holland instead. Its called the envy of the subconscious mind.
ps. we’re taking our boy, Fabregas back. Ain’t nothing gonna stop that from happening. His future is not in this World Fantasy League of yours.
Ha ha!! Chris you really are a burk. And what a silly name for a Barcelona fan!!
@ larryking listen jock wenger could never coach anyother club because no big club would go six season without a trophy there is no way wenger could go to madrid and go two season without a trophy no way in hell he would be fired in no time bmunich fired klinsman less than half season look at the real madrid coach grave yard pelligrinie made 95+ points last season that amount would win the league in almost any country yet he got fired i can go on if fergi goes two seasons without a trophy am sure he gone i love arsenal but football is about winning trophies wenger has hypnotize you i dont care arsenal have gone five years without a trophy and six witout the league not even a carling cup or fa cup and loosing all our best players all for money all this talk about wenger and his youth policies i can count on both hands all the players that came through arsenal youth system that went on to be world beaters look at the current crop walcott nasri diaby denilson bedtner clichy none of these are world class they have improve minimal @ arsenal compare that to barca their youths pedro and co are world beaters event the great vanpercy who we rate he would never leave arsenal because all that chance wenger gives him he would’t get at other big clubs this does not make sense we buy young players they take ages to develop most dont’t then we sell them or they leave because they want to win things that how you grow pretty soon that top four will become very hard to stay in if we get out of that then what i wish all you wenger fans luck am all out of patients with him last chance this year…………….
@ Chris…
Hi Arsenal fans. Its the World Cup season. Who are u guys supporting for the final? Spain or Holland? Neither, but hoping for an entertaining match.
Why do you guys support Arsenal?
– Exposed the the game by some friends, both are huge Arsenal fans. I wanted to get in the conversation so I started watching and got hooked.
Why does anybody support the big 4-5 in the ‘English Premier League’ ?
-Why does anyone support any team?
What good is this so called most ‘challenging’ league in the World when the big 5 consist of a minimum of 70% imports / non English ?
-The League is in England. Why does it matter where the players come from? How do imports diminish the quality of the league?
Should the name of the league be changed to ‘World Premier League’ in the future?
-No, because the league is in England.
Are most of you guys supporting Arsenal, French?
-Nope. I’m a yank.
How do u guys feel of the early exit and the lousy performance from England in the World Cup?
-Couldn’t care less, I am still smarting over USA losing in R16.
Do you think it has anything to do with the structure of the Big 5 (top five clubs in EPL) ?
-Not really. I don’t think the players selected complemented each other well. All of USA’s best players don’t play in MLS. I don’t think that has anything to do with the performance of the National team.
What is the purpose of The EPL?
-To be a football league based in England for the entertainment of the fans.
Stupid questions really but I wanted to answer honestly so you could see how stupid they were.
Well done Seanzie. So the only reason why its called the EPL is because its played in England? hahahahahahaha
U admitted it.
What is the purpose of a local circus?
-to be a source of entertainment for local fans too.
U compared the US team with the English? Did u just do that?
Huge amount of imports = lesser chances for local boys to succeed. Isn’t this unfair for the English lads? Oh wait, i forgot that u and the rest of the other clowns here don’t care.
Of course u care less about the English team. All u care about is the circus / the EPL. After all, why care about the national team and the WorldCup when u have all the players from all the countries in the World playing at your back yard season in, season out.
Your league has no culture and direction, neither does it benefit the English team in what so ever way. Its just called the EPL because it is played in England. What a bunch of clowns.
Where’s your own youth system? Why do you need to buy young players from abroad in such quantities?
Where are the young English talent in the EPL?
ADAM JOHNSON?
THEO WELCOTT?
who?
oh yeah, i forgot, they didn’t even make the squad. Why? Wrong Selection by Capello? No. Because they are not good enough and they don’t click well enough with the rest of the team. They don’t even listen to orders from the coach.
I challenge ARSENAL and the big five to produce atleast 5 English born starters in their team this coming season and 5 seasons to come. Only then, shall u talk about the POWER OF THE BIG 4 .
You’re reason enough for us to support Holland.
Now: get a job, get a life (you saddo) and get the f*** out of this forum. Or at the very least, try to resist crowing about your teams’ achievements and remember where the beautiful came from. Burk.
Well, the conversation here has certainly taken a turn for the worse, I must say.
Lets keep the name calling to a minimum please. And lets try to keep on topic. In this case, the topic would be the arrival of Laurent Koscielny.
Thanks. 🙂
Sorry, Mike, but I have to stray off topic and thank Chris for coming onto this site and giving me the biggest laugh of my day today. Heeeeelarious. If there’s one thing funnier than an idiot coming on this site and trying to rubbish the Gunner’s – it’s a foreign idiot. ‘I’m laughing my ass out loud’ he says. Brilliant!! That’s going to be my new catch-phrase!
Thank you, Chris. Please come again and make me laugh my ass out loud.
On another topic – I personally reckon Holland are going to win. Although it may go to pens. But I think the Dutch have got what it takes to take down the Span-yards. – who perhaps are a little too in love with themselves…?
Wouldn’t it be great if RVP scored the winner though?
@chris u are not ashamed to call urself yankee when we discuss soccer or to compare ur country with england when soccer is the topic.to remind u this is rugby nor basketball is real soccer & greatest sports ever.when was the last time ur country get to quarter final in world biggest soccer competition? the answer is ‘NEVER’.
whats this on the arsenal website about fabgas vs vanpercy fab is not playing he is warming bench stop fooling people…….
hahahahahahahahaha Nonny Mouse, Matt B and all u other clowns. Saint Iniesta of Stamford Bridge has arrived. On your knees….u foools….hahahahhahahahahhahahahhaha
Do i have to explain myself a little further? Do i? Do i fucking have to? hahahahhahahahaha
RVP? What
RVP can Kiss My Ass !!!
The best part is….all u guys in here silently know i’m right about Arsenal and the EPL…….hahhahahhhaha i know you know.
Pls don’t kill yourselves, just try to chill aight…just chill ….while Barsa enjoys our first Cup of the year. OMG? Its not just a Cup. Fuck no its not the Carling Cup….its The WORLD CUP !!!
Hmmm. A little pathetic Chris.
Seanzie : U should tell your friends about FC BARCELONA. A true man speaks about the truth and watches the truth and believes in the truth. We play football. Do you? Do you English Premier League?? (shouting my lungs out) Do you fuckin even know what football is, EPL boys????
What u see is what u believe.
Watch FC Barcelona today. Experience the true experience of Football like never before. Change your colors today.
Watch football for the excitement and for the values the game brings to you. EPL has nothing!! Absolutely nothing. Just money money money …import import and import. Try coaching your own young English talent Arsenal. Prove it to us that u can. I’d eat my words if you ever can do that Arsenal. As for now your league remains a circus in reality. Just a pure circus!!
@ chris
Mourinho will fuck baca up next season. Also Spain hardly played well 1-0 in all the knock out games is hardly amazing, they could have easliy lost any of them.
Also if you go to north London, you will find the majority of the population are foreigners. So in that respect the team is representaive of the local commuity.
P.S. I was right about you being a cunt. Have fun when baca run out of money
The funny thing about our friend Chris is that his team — Spain/ Barcelona win the World Cup and he spends his time not celebrating or having fun, but scribbing utter tosh on an Arsenal forum. I’m guessing that’s because — like us — everyone else thinks he’s a twat as well.
I think its a time for change. Arsenal is a big team and almost plays nice football. But now we need to win,it has been long time we are not getting cups we just end up participating only. For my self it pains me. I like arsenal since i was young and i do enjoy whenever we win but the most important thing is cups. My suggestions are as follows, we have a very good team with talented players i.e Fabregas, Van persie, Song, Eboue, Clich etc but they need a help from experienced players, that means we have to find some of experienced players to accompany our existing players. Thanks to Wenger i real appreciate you Mr and keep it up. I’m a man from Tanzania at Mkwawa university best second striker no 10. Ahsante sana (thank you very much)
Felicitaciones!! Desde Chile le desea la mejor de las suertes a Koscielny un seguidor de Arsenal.