Laurent Koscielny (born 10 September 1985 in
Tulle,
France) is a
French footballer who plays as a
defender for
Arsenal in the
Premier League.
Career
En Avant de Guingamp
Koscielny began his career at
En Avant de Guingamp, playing mainly as a Right-back.
Tours FC
In 2007, Koscielny joined
Tours FC. Koscielny decided that he wanted a chance at centre back. During the 2008–09 season, Koscielny made 34 appearances, scoring 5 goals from defence. He was named in the best XI for
Ligue 2 after the 2008–09 season.
Lorient
On 16 June 2009,
Ligue 1 side
FC Lorient signed Koscielny on a four-year contract for around 1.7 million euros. Over one season at the club, he scored 3 goals in 35 appearances. He scored against Bordeaux 11 minutes into the match. However, he received a red card 15 minutes later for a foul in the penalty area against
Marouane Chamakh, whom he is now teammates with at
Arsenal FC.
Arsenal
During the summer transfer window of 2010 reports began to emerge in late June that a deal had been reached to bring Koscielny to English club
Arsenal for a reported sum of £8.45 million. French daily
Ouest-France reported on 5 July 2010 that Koscielny was participating in training with Arsenal's reserve and youth teams, pending the official announcement of his transfer. Arsenal confirmed the signing on 7 July 2010 and Koscielny was handed the club's No. 6 shirt, previously worn by
Phillipe Senderos, who moved to......
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