Arsenal announce contract extensions for Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud

Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud have all signed contract extensions with Arsenal, the Premier League club announced today.

Arsenal have announced that centre-back Laurent Koscielny, midfielder Francis Coquelin and striker Olivier Giroud have committed their futures to the North London club, and have signed new long-term contracts to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal released a video on their official social media account, showing Koscielny, Coquelin and Giroud signing their new deals with the club, with manager Arsene Wenger present during the event.

This makes for positive news for the Arsenal supporters as the trio have been vital members of Arsene Wenger’s squad in recent seasons, and form a key part of the spine of the Arsenal team.

Koscielny joined the North Londoners from FC Lorient in July 2010 as a 25-year-old young defender who was looking to establish himself in the France national team.

In more than six seasons since, the centre-back has become an indispensable figure in the heart of the Arsenal defence, having made 273 appearances for the club while turning in solid performances all the while. He has also shown an eye for goal for his side, netting 22 times for the club in the period.

Today, the Frenchman is hailed as one of the best centre-backs in the world and is talked of in the same breath as the likes of Diego Godin, Giorgio Chiellini, Thiago Silva and other top central defenders around the world.

Francis Coquelin joined Arsenal’s youth setup in 2008 and was sent on three loan spells out of the club before being recalled from Charlton in December 2014.

Since then, the 25-year-old has made quite the impression for the Gunners and has formed an important part of the Arsenal midfield, making 131 appearances for his side as he provides cover to the back four sitting behind him.

The 30-year-old Giroud signed for Arsenal from the surprise Ligue 1 conquering Montpellier in 2012 for £9.6 million. Over the years, he has emerged as one of the most prolific strikers in England, scoring 91 goals for the club.

He was Arsenal’s top scorer in the 2015/16 season, scoring 24 goals in all competitions, and after struggling for minutes at the start of the season, the Frenchman has started the last four games for the Gunners, scoring crucial goals in each of those matches.

Arsene Wenger was ecstatic on the occasion and had this to say during the announcement: “We are very pleased that three important members of our team have committed to us for the long term. Francis has made tremendous technical strides over the past few years because he’s so focused every day.

“Olivier has big experience in the game now and has become a more and more complete player since joining us. Laurent is of course a key part of our squad and I believe one of the best defenders in the world today. So overall, this is great news for us.”

The French boss would now be hoping that two of his other stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez sign their own extensions with the club as well, with Wenger expressing concerns that the duo could leave Arsenal on free transfers.