The central defender discussed his decision to swap the Premier League for Ligue 1 and Bordeaux, and his plans once he hangs up his boots
Laurent Koscielny has spoken about his reasons for leaving Arsenal in the summer; a decision which surprised many at the club including the fans he believes did not expect him to go.
The former Gunners captain revealed that he wasn’t happy at Arsenal and that he felt he needed to go back home with his family for a different challenge.
His final game for the club came in the Europa League final against Chelsea at the end of the 2018-19 season, a game that Arsenal lost 4-1.
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The Frenchman then refused to travel on the club’s tour of the U.S. ahead of the current season, signalling his intent to leave.
“I can understand that Arsenal fans did not expect me to leave,” he told Canal+.
“Nobody expected it. To put it simply, I was not happy as I was on the first day I signed. And with my family, we needed to go back to France and have a new challenge.”
He congratulated his successor as captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and recognised that the club is going through a difficult time at the moment.
“I’m happy for Aubameyang, and for his role as captain,” he added.
“I wish them all the best, even if they are in a difficult period. But this is where we see a team and a collective ready to fight together and bounce back.”
The central defender now plays for Bordeaux in Ligue 1. He has been a regular in the back line as the club sits just outside the European places in the table.
Now 34 years old, he is already thinking about life once his playing days come to an end, saying that he would be interested in becoming a coach. But there is one career path he definitely doesn’t want to go down.
“To be a coach in the future? You have to test it out,” he said.
“I feel very good in the world of football, so why not take the clause of my sporting director (to be a coach after the end of his career)?
“What is sure is that I will not be a pundit!”