Laurent Koscielny: a pre-season protest that threatens to worsen the leadership void at Arsenal
Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny’s attempt to force a move away from the club by refusing to travel on their pre-season tour of the US has been greeted with shock and deja-vu in equal measure.
Shock that such an unapologetic show of petulance would come from Koscielny, who, in his nine years at the club, has never before displayed a hint of unprofessionalism or desire to leave.
Deja-vu as Arsenal captains rarely stick around for long these days. Since Cesc Fabregas left for Barcelona in 2011, no captain has stayed at the club for more than two seasons after being appointed.
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Nor is it uncommon to see an Arsenal captain depart in an acrimonious and painful manner. The image of Robin van Persie, then of Manchester United, receiving a guard of honour at Emirates Stadium will haunt many an Arsenal fan for years to come.
Koscielny may not be as much of an integral part of the Arsenal line-up as Van Persie was when he left in 2012, but the gaping leadership void that his departure will create could be equally damaging.
Lack of replacements
His position, after all, now appears to be untenable. Unai Emery and the Arsenal hierarchy will be aware that it could be damaging to keep a former leader around the squad after such a display of insolence.
In a blunt statement released as they left for their US tour, Arsenal affirmed their unsympathetic position towards Koscielny. “We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions,” it read.
The problem that Emery now faces is finding another member of his squad that can demonstrate the same capacity for leadership as Koscielny once did.
Considering that vice-captain Petr Cech has retired and third-choice Aaron Ramsey has moved to Juventus on a free transfer, the five-tier captaincy team that Emery assembled when he took charge has largely disintegrated in just a year.
The fourth and fifth members of Emery’s captaincy team, Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka, raise more questions than answers.
Xhaka’s merits continue to be divisive amongst Arsenal fans, whereas Ozil was dropped for a large portion of last season and continues to be castigated by supporters for his apparent lack of impetus to work hard for the team.
Third year without Champions League
The Koscielny saga is another sour note in a wider narrative of chaotic leadership both on and off the field at Arsenal, perhaps best encapsulated by the sudden departure of Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive who oversaw a drastic leadership restructure then joined AC Milan almost immediately after it was implemented.
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Last week, Arsenal appointed former player Edu as their new technical director, concluding a search that took the better part of a year. Arsenal will hope to conclude this captaincy crisis far more promptly, most likely by selling Koscielny to a French club.
However, whether the remaining senior members of Arsenal’s squad, the number of which appear to be ever-dwindling, can step up and fill the Koscielny-sized void remains to be seen. It may well be a crucial component of Arsenal’s bid to end a three-year cycle without Champions League football.
Main image credit: Getty