Arsenal sign French trio Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin to new contracts

Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud have all committed themselves to the club

Thursday 12 January 2017 06:08 EST
Comments
Wenger has secured the future of his Arsenal spine, now he must tie down his stars
Wenger has secured the future of his Arsenal spine, now he must tie down his stars (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Arsene Wenger has declared himself "very pleased" after tying down three key first-team players to new contracts.

Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud have all committed themselves to Arsenal for the long term and captain Koscielny will now likely finish his career at the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger said:

"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."

Wenger's biggest contract battles, however, are yet to come.

The Frenchman is trying to convince two of his biggest stars, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, that their future lies at the club.

But with 18 months remaining on those deals and questions over the club's ambition, Wenger will hope that today's triple deal will help reassure his big-money forwards that Arsenal can win trophies.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in