Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny, is the legacy tarnished?

Laurent Koscielny has signed for Bordeaux in an approximately £4.6 million. But after kicking his toys out of the pram to force through a move, has the Arsenal captain ruined his legacy?

On Tuesday, it became official. Laurent Koscielny’s strop had worked. He was no longer an Arsenal player, agreeing to a £4.6 million transfer back to France and Ligue 1 side, Bordeaux.

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In the end, it was an ugly way for an illustrious tenure to close. After Aaron Ramsey’s departure earlier in the window, Koscielny was the longest-serving player in the squad. Arsene Wenger signed him in 2010, almost a decade ago.

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He was an unknown 24-year-old. Very little was expected of him. Arriving in north London, he was extremely raw and unpolished, his rash, aggressiveness causing more problems that they solved, and he knew very little English, clearly learning the culture as much as the game. But under what Koscielny would later describe as Wenger’s fathering tutelage, he improved. Gradually, at first, and then substantially upon the arrival of Per Mertesacker.

For a two-year period, Koscielny was one of the best defenders in the Premier League. He was the tough-tackling, flying sweeper alongside the dominating, commanding Mertesacker. They made the perfect pairing, if only they had a midfield capable of providing any semblance of security and protection in front of them.

Koscielny broke into the French national team, his performances noticed around the world despite the obvious defensive vulnerabilities of the team he was a part of, and he was soon viewed as the key defensive piece that Arsenal must build around, and while the revolving doors around him continued to leak goals like a boat with a hole in the hull, Koscielny continually showed his terrific recovery ability to cover for the litany of errors.

And despite all of these sensational individual performances and seasons, perhaps his best moments came last season. Even with Wenger now gone, Koscielny, at the age of 33, having missed his France win the World Cup, returned from a ruptured Achilles to play some of his very best football, almost captaining Arsenal back into the Champions League and a Europa League victory. While he and his teammates ultimately fell short of those goals, it seemed as though Koscielny was back, just in time to prepare the way for those who would inherit the centre-back position from him in the coming years.

Then the summer happened. Koscielny wanted to leave, despite being under contract for another year, the club were willing to sell, but only for a price, and the club captain decided to go to any lengths possible to force his exit, refusing to travel with the squad on their pre-season tour of the United States. Eventually, Koscielny got his way.

It is a messy divorce. But does it tarnish the legacy of a modern Arsenal great, a player who came from Ligue 2 in France to captain the club, an individual who is loved and revered in the local community, who overcame almighty obstacles, only to throw it all away? The very fact that I am asking this question probably provides you with the answer.

Time is a great healer and Koscielny’s standing at the club and within the fan base will improve. Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry are all now seen as heroes, despite their departures, some of which were controversial. None quite did what Koscielny and none were quite as pugnacious in their behaviour, but the rift repaired over time. Koscielny has tarnished his legacy, but perhaps not permanently.