Premier League outfit Arsenal have been ensuring the enhancement of the quality of their arsenal this summer. The North London outfit have already accumulated two ground shattering signings in the forms of Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette, with the latter being lured to the club for a whopping £52million and at the onset, they do appear to be a side well equipped to challenge the fellow English heavyweights for the major silverwares.
The ecstasy amongst the fans increased further as their veteran defender, Laurent Koscielny, confirmed his stay at Emirates Stadium. Reports had emerged that Ligue 1 powerhouse, Marseille, were interested in acquiring Koscielny’s services, but apparently, the centre-back is in no hurry to leave the London based club and has committed his future to the club. Group cohesiveness always plays a key role in determining the whereabouts of a club and Arsenal are going pretty much in the right direction.
These anecdotes of world class players giving their consent to ply their trade for Arsenal along with the highly rated existing players respecting their contracts are reminders that Arsenal are still a massive club despite failing to secure a Champions League spot last season. Make no mistake, Koscielny is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League at this stroke of the hour. Ever since making a move from Lorient in the summer of 2010, the French international has played an instrumental role and has saved the blushes of his employers on innumerable occasions.
The 31-year-old paved his way from the bench of Ligue 2 to cement his stature as one of the regular faces in Arsene Wenger’s starting line-up week in and week out. Of course, there have been some hiccups, but undoubtedly, he has grown as a top quality player and carved a name for himself even with the French national side. He is a good interceptor of the ball, reads the game really well, indulges himself into making tackles at right times and is very sound in the air as well.
Besides, he is a shrewd passer of the ball, backs up his fellow defenders, has bagged truckloads of experience and marshals the defensive line. Last season, Koscielny accumulated 33 appearances in the Premier League to his name, whilst which he registered 1.5 tackles, 2.7 interceptions, 6.1 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game on an average and also found the back of the net on 2 occasions. The Gunners rely heavily on him and it is quite riveting for the fans to see him staying at Arsenal and being loyal to the club.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
