Marseille to move for Koscielny / Image via 90min.com
Going hand in hand in the build up to what turned out to be a rather disappointing finish to the season for Arsenal, two biggest transfer rumours occupied most of every Gunners fan’s attention.
Mesut Ozil & Alexis Sanchez secondary issues
Those were the stories of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, the two biggest Arsenal stars having only a year remaining on their current Arsenal deals and both hinting that a move away from the Emirates Stadium is more than a worrying possibility.
A search of trophies on both domestic and international scene remains the appealing prospect ahead of the official beginning of the summer transfer window for Ozil, Sanchez and the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs as well.
As worried and concerned as they might be in front of a possibility to see these couple of first-team members leave the club, Arsenal fans need to pay attention to a potential transfer that would bring a gut-wrenching scenario to Emirates.
In the news that would come as a huge blow to all Arsenal fans, French centre-half Laurent Koscielny has once again emerged as a target for Ligue 1 side Marseille.
The transfer speculations have gained pace over the past couple of weeks as French side looks keen to rekindle interest in Arsenal key man after initial approach last year. There would be no reason to feel worried, however, hadn’t it been for Laurent Koscielny’s refusal to rule out a potential move to a club he used to support as a young boy.
“I have always said that I was a Marseille fan when I was younger. When a mythical club like Marseille contacts you, it is good. But will I sign for them? I have no idea at all.”, Koscielny told Daily Mirror after reminding that he signed a contract extension with Arsenal last November.
Could Koscielny leave Arsenal this summer?
With a deal running until 2020, Laurent Koscielny still did little to reassure anxious Arsenal fans over his future at the Emirates, which at this point looks everything else but certain.
Koscielny’s comments are however more than enough to put potential departures of Ozil, Sanchez and all of the aforementioned more attack-oriented stars in a completely different perspective.
Arsenal would be left with a huge void upfront without the Chilean or the German genius, but a harrowing scenario of an Arsenal without Koscielny around would be extremely difficult for Arsenal to navigate through.
Troubled by a recurring Achilles problem which flared up again after the international break in March this year, Laurent Koscielny’s frequent absences provided Arsenal fans with an eye-opening insight into what life would be like without the French defender, and it did not look pretty.
Laurent Koscielny is forced to undergo special treatment programme until the rest of his career to keep his Achilles problem under control and this issue might be one of the determining factors in Frenchman’s decision whether to leave Arsenal or not.
Irreplaceable in defence
Should Koscielny by any means decide he had enough of the physically demanding Premier League and underperforming Arsenal, and pack his bags for a return to his homeland, it would leave a giant hole at the heart of Arsenal defence.
Recognised as arguably the most important player in the squad by the manager Arsene Wenger himself, Laurent Koscielny is the player that brings confidence and composure into Gunners’ backline.
The experienced Frenchman is the player who gets most of the ageing Per Mertesacker and Shkodran Mustafi, who remains a solid supporting option. The latter German is not ready for an anchor role at the centre of defence, whereas Rob Holding and Gabriel do nothing more than add squad and selection depth.
Arsenal simply cannot afford to lose Koscielny at this point.
His departure would definitely be the drop that spills the entire cup for Arsenal fans.
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