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Francis Coquelin Has Become the Poster Child of Arsenal’s Academy

By Josh Sippie

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It is nice to see a youth product turn into something from time to time. It reminds the kids in the academy that it can be done. Given Arsenal’s emphasis on the academy, it is even more crucial for them to deliver results.

Francis Coquelin is a result.

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Le Coq joined Arsenal at the age of 17. That puts him right at the same age as when Krystian Bielik, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and many others joined the squad. Hardly a ‘wonderkid’ like so many of Arsenal’s current prospects, Coquelin did have one thing that you could not teach: work ethic.

It was not smooth sailing for Francis Coquelin to make it to where he is now at Arsenal. He made it to the first team after just a year in the youth squad but spent the next 6 years of his life on loan or with the reserves. While team mates like Jack Wilshere will tell you today that he always worked harder than anyone else, there was still something missing from Francis Coquelin’s game. A few senior club appearances including an embarrassment against Manchester United and he appeared to be another youth signing gone to waste.

After being sent out on loan to Charlton, few could have imagined the corner he would turn. With Arsenal in desperate need of a defensive midfielder, Coquelin got his call, and he answered it with gusto. Disciplinary problems plagued his return to Arsenal but it was impossible not to notice the clamp that had been placed on the oppositions attack. The midfield was no longer a safe haven for Arsenal’s opponents. Coquelin was like a barbarian. He timed his slide tackles perfectly and anticipated interceptions like Laurent Koscielny.

He had become what Arsenal had always needed – a physical presence in the void.

Coquelin shook off the yellow card accumulation incredibly quickly and rose up the statistical tables. He asserted himself as the best defensive midfielder in the game by ranking in the top three in tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes played.

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With Arsenal’s dedication to producing youth products, it works wonders to see a guy like Francis Coquelin amount to someone so irreplaceable. Bielik, Reine-Adelaide and Chuba Akpom can look to him and realize that they will be given their chance. It may be a small window to make an impression, but they will have a window. That is more than Barcelona can offer. Just ask Hector Bellerin.

Francis Coquelin offered some advice to the youth products, saying via the Star: “If you keep working hard, at some point it will pay off. Sometimes it’s mentally hard and you don’t get the chances you have to stay mentally strong and it’s important to have good people around you.”

That has to give Arsenal supporters a warm and fuzzy. Coquelin made the most of his chance with the well-wishes of those around him and that is a huge testament to the class at the club.

With Francis Coquelin as their poster child, the academy can look forward to many more products reaching a final product with the big boys at the Emirates.

Next: Is Mesut Ozil a serious Balon d'Or candidate?

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