Ex-Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny was considering leaving the Emirates in the summer, according to the French international’s agent Stephane Courbis.
“He started thinking about a possible departure from Arsenal at the same time as Arsene Wenger,” said Courbis. “It was the right moment, the final moment to leave with the arrival of the new manager.”
Koscielny shared something similar to a father-son bond with Arsene Wenger, and his departure clearly had a personal effect on him. When Wenger was struggling with a poor run of results, defender Laurent Koscielny leapt to his defense, and said:
“Arsene Wenger’s recent record at Arsenal should not undermine the long-serving manager’s ability to help his players develop and fulfill their potential”.
This was evident that Koscielny didn’t want to play under any other manager at the North London club. The French international was ready to leave Arsenal along with the long serving French manager, after serving them for 8 long years
The defender, who is the second longest serving player in the club after Aaron Ramsey, had offers from various clubs from France and China even before suffering an Achilles tendon injury. His agent said that moving to a Premier League club would not be an option for the France International and they were considering options from different leagues. Speaking to France Football, Courbois said:
‘At that time, Laurent was playing what might have been his final matches with Arsenal.
‘We were open to a number of options. China was one, as much as a return to France. Laurent could not see himself playing for another English team outside of Arsenal. Since Marseille’s approach last season, the idea of a Ligue 1 return got him thinking. It was a genuine possibility.’
The 32-year-old defender suffered a horrific Achilles tendon injury last season against Atletico Madrid and has been out for 6 months. The dreadful injury ended any chances the Arsenal defender had to leave the North London club and he also had to withdraw his name from France’s World Cup side, who later on went to win the competition.
The defender has resumed training with the Gunners, but is expected to be out till November.
