Arsenal: Post-Koscielny Blues Aren’t So Blue Anymore

Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has been one of the few consistencies throughout the years and his exit is scary. Not anymore.

Arsenal has had influences come and go within the squad, but one name has stayed the same over the past half decade and that man is Laurent Koscielny. He is one of the nearly unanimously appreciated Gunners right up there with Alexis Sanchez.

It used to be a huge concern, therefore, thinking about life after Laurent Koscielny moved on. The Frenchman has been arguably the only reliable defender this club has had in the past decade.

How things have changed. In the very recent past, Koscielny has been the weakest of all eligible defenders. In that same time span, two other defenders, Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding, have proven to be not only reliable, but stalwart colossi.

And that isn’t even including Shkodran Mustafi. The German has had his struggles this year, but it’s pretty clear that he is yet another to add to the ranks of defenders that are absolutely ready to carry on the torch when Koscielny hands it off.

While Mustafi has proven himself thoroughly and Gabriel is right around the corner from the same, Rob Holding might have a bit more proving to do, although it doesn’t seem like much is going to change. He doesn’t appear to have an erratic bone in his body.

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Meaning that Koscielny has a support group of three quality defenders to lean on. That is such an improvement from what we are used to having in the past, when the moment Koscielny went down, all hell broke loose.

And that isn’t even including Calum Chambers. Chambers has been a huge piece of Middlesbrough’s surprisingly solid defense and maybe it’s more than just coincidence that they can’t seem to get back to their winning ways while the Englishman is on the mend.

Four – count’em – four quality defenders. Even in a back three set, that is some solid coverage. There may be the need for one additional body, but by the time that need comes around (a couple years down the road) Chambers and Holding will be the starting center backs for the English National team (John who?) and Krystian Bielik will be the new Rob Holding – an up and comer ready to take on the world.

Next: Arsenal's Potential Starting XI Under Leonardo Jardim

Maybe Arsene Wenger knew what he was doing when he threw all of these defenders together at oddtimes. The future is a bright at a position that seemed devoid of light in the past.