Former Arsenal midfielder and fan favourite Francis Coquelin has spoken out about his time with the north London club, three years after leaving England.
Sitting down with El Periodico Mediterraneo, the now-Villarreal star opened up on his time with the north London club. Coquelin was signed by Arsene Wenger as a teenager, with the midfielder spending a decade with Arsenal.
Coquelin’s time with the Gunners was unusual, to say the least. After spending the majority of his time at the club out on loan, the Frenchman was recalled in December 2014 following a midfielder crisis at Arsenal.
However, it was soon discovered that Coquelin excelled in the ball-winning midfield role. And alongside Santi Cazorla, the now-30-year-old dynamo formed one of the best partnerships Arsenal had seen in a long time.
From that moment on, Coquelin was regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League. However, injuries to himself and Cazorla saw the partnership fizzle out. Yet the La Liga star still cherishes his time at Arsenal.
Coquelin said: “I was very young when Arsenal signed me. I wasn’t even 18- years- old. And I learnt a lot there, I was trained as a player and as a person. I was, between loans, ten years at Arsenal. It’s a lifetime, it is my home.”
Arsenal fans laud Coquelin for club praise
Indeed, Coquelin is a player who remains a cult hero at the Emirates. And fans on social media loved what the 30-year-old had to say about the impact Arsenal had on him.
Here’s what some Arsenal fans to say on Twitter about Coquelin’s comments about the club…
https://twitter.com/Ricks_14/status/1463478765846249474
https://twitter.com/dontcareboutub/status/1463478450128306180
https://twitter.com/ZayanK04/status/1463481772197531655
https://twitter.com/o_lee_0133/status/1463551585166966786
https://twitter.com/FitzSmilerf1/status/1463486816682663936
https://twitter.com/Ricks_14/status/1463478765846249474
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