Arsenal fans didn’t expect me to leave – but I was unhappy and needed to go

After almost a decade at the Emirates Stadium, fans were stunned to see one former stalwart announce his departure from the club

Former Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny was an unexpected departure when he took his leave of north London in 2019. After almost a decade at the Emirates Stadium, the Frenchman was on course to celebrate 10 years as a Gunner before announcing his exit.

However, the decision becomes more understandable when listening to the retired centre-back’s reason for leaving. At the time, Koscielny was serving as Unai Emery’s captain and had helped lead the club to three FA Cups in the past five years – all under Arsene Wenger, the coach who recruited him.

Things were no longer as rosy behind the scenes as they once were, though, as Koscielny, now 40, decided a separation was best. He joined Bordeaux in a deal worth close to £5million and got his wish for a move back to Ligue 1.

“I can understand that Arsenal fans did not expect me to leave,” he told Canal+ shortly after his departure. “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.”

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While Koscielny may describe his departure as completely out of the blue, not all Arsenal fans may see it the same way. He was approaching his 34th birthday at the time and had just missed half the 2018/19 season due to a serious Achilles injury.

From a business perspective, it actually made a lot of sense to sell the player at that time. Even more so considering he had only 12 months left to run on his contract, meaning the summer of 2019 represented Arsenal’s last real chance to make money off his sale.

In his place, the Gunners invested heavily to recruit the likes of William Saliba, David Luiz and Pablo Mari. Only one of those remains at the club today, though supporters may well be grateful to Koscielny that his exit forced their hand in recruiting Saliba, one of the top defenders in Europe today.

It’s also understood Koscielny’s alleged conduct around that time left a sour taste in the mouth back at Arsenal. It was reported the veteran refused to join his Arsenal team-mates on their pre-season tour of the United States in order to force the move to Bordeaux, while his unveiling – where he removed his old side’s shirt to reveal his new one – further stirred the pot.

For the superstitious among us, karma may have played some role in how Koscielny’s career came to a close following that bitter split. With Bordeaux entering dire straits financially in the years that followed his arrival, he was asked to reduce his wages in early 2022.

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Shortly after that, he transitioned into a non-playing role to help develop the club’s youth talent. And several months later, he announced his retirement from playing midway through the 2021/22 campaign.

Koscielny eventually found his way back to Lorient, the club where he first caught Arsenal’s attention before joining in 2010. He has served as the club’s sporting director since 2024 and has helped oversee their resurgence in France’s top flight.

With Arsenal well in the fight to add Champions League honours to their cabinet this season, there may even come a day when the two clubs face off in Europe. However, there may be some mixed feelings from some at the Emirates in the event Koscielny returns as a member of the opposition.

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