Laurent Koscielny committed to Arsenal as he admits Gunners are in a 'difficult situation'

Koscielny speaking at a press conference while on France international duty
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge23 March 2017

Laurent Koscielny says his future is at Arsenal amid the ongoing turbulence at the Emirates.

Arsenal’s vice-captain has been a target for Bayern Munich but with Koscielny under contract until 2019 the Gunners are – for now – relatively well-placed to rebuff any interest in the 31-year-old.

Koscielny has been a near ever-present for Arsenal this season, missing just one Premier League game, but has been unable to hold a creaking defence together during a run of six defeats in nine matches.

However it has not inspired him to think about moving elsewhere and Koscielny believes he and his team-mates must take responsibility for their recent struggles as Arsene Wenger comes under growing pressure.

“Arsene Wenger made me,” Koscielny said. “We are in a difficult situation. It is not only his responsibility.

“I feel good at Arsenal. My family is good in London. I’ve no reason to leave. Let’s finish as high as possible. Then I’ll see.”

Koscielny was speaking ahead of France’s World Cup qualifier in Luxembourg, where he and Olivier Giroud are the two Arsenal representatives in Didier Deschamp’s squad.

Arsenal fans feud over Arsene Wenger

Whilst Koscielny’s importance has been apparent throughout the season – on no occasion more so than in the two 5-1 defeats to Bayern Munich when his departure prompted a defensive collapse – Giroud has struggled to find a consistent role in the Arsenal squad.

Though the striker’s goalscoring output has been solid, with his eight Premier League goals coming at an average rate of one every 95 minutes, he has struggled to find an extended run in Wenger’s starting lineup, with Alexis Sanchez Arsenal’s preferred centre-forward.

In Pictures | West Brom vs Arsenal | 18/03/2017

1/24

“This season is a bit complicated,” Koscielny said of Giroud. “He has much less playing time [than in previous seasons]. I know he's mentally strong - I see it on a daily basis. He always wants to progress and to score.

“Each time, he fights for the collective. For him and me, the France team is good to break up a little the daily routine at our club.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in