When it was announced that Arsene Wenger would be leaving the Gunners after 22 years, there was a lot of speculation as to who would follow him out the door.
We have already seen some departures in the form of Per Mertesacker who retired and both Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere who have left on a free.
Another player who could be added to that list is the French center back Laurent Koscielny who has hinted that he will leave Arsenal at the end of his contract.
The center back who is now 33 will be 35 when his contract does get over in the summer of 2020. After that, it is difficult to see him stay with the Gunners especially given the injury problems that he has been having.
He is currently out with a knock that was picked up against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Europa League semifinal. It is not known when he will return to the team and even when he does, there is no guarantee that he will have a starting spot.
Arsenal have already gone ahead and purchased another senior center back from Borussia Dortmund in the form of Sokratis. It is expected that the Greek will be the first choice defensive pair along with Shkodran Mustafi.
The hint about £90,000-a-week defender leaving came when he was asked about his plans for the future by a French newspaper, to which he said:
“I’m under contract until June 2020. Afterwards? I’m thinking of moving on, but I do not know where”
This certainly looks like an indication that the player will be leaving once his contract is over. He has given the Gunners innumerable instances of his courage, leadership and most importantly, defensive skill.
He has helped the club come out of a trophy drought and helped stabilize a defense and team that always seem to wander at any give time. The impact of Koscielny can be seen when he is not in the team and that is a testament to his ability. If he were to leave, he can go with his head held high.
