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What's the story?
Arsenal have announced the departure of Laurent Koscielny after the French international refused to travel with the club for their pre-season matches. Koscielny will be returning to France and has signed a deal with Bordeaux.
In case you didn't know...
The former Arsenal captain surprised many when he refused to participate in Arsenal's pre-season matches held in the United States of America. Keen on returning to France, Koscielny had tried to leave the North London club on a free transfer. By then, a couple of Ligue 1 clubs such as Rennes and Bordeaux were keen to sign him.
Koscielny signed for the Gunners back in 2010 and made a total of 353 appearances. The 33-year-old won the FA Cup thrice in his nine years with the club. Last season, his side narrowly missed out on the Europa League trophy.
The heart of the matter
Following his persistence to leave the club, Arsenal have decided to let Koscielny leave for a reported fee of £4.6 million.
In an official statement released by the Gunners, it read,
"Laurent, who started his career in the French second division at Guingamp in 2004, has played 51 matches for France and was entering the final year of his current contract with us."
"We decided to sanction his move to Bordeaux once we agreed acceptable transfer terms."
"We thank Laurent for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future."
The French international's final appearance for the North London club was during the Gunners' Europa League final defeat to Chelsea. Now that he has left the club, Unai Emery will be expected to appoint a new captain with Granit Xhaka tipped to wear the armband.
What's next?
The Gunners will be looking forward to starting their new Premier League campaign on a positive note as they travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United on Sunday.
