Arsenal centre back Laurent Koscielny believes Arsene Wenger’s ability to mould young players into men and top stars is one of the key reasons he has remained Gunners boss for 20 years.
Koscielny was already 24 before he arrived at the Emirates from Lorient in 2010 but he believes Wenger’s ability to develop individuals both personally and in terms of their footballing ability, means he stands out from other managers. He told Arsenal.com:
“You may say that we haven’t won the title for a long time, but he has not just built players, he’s built men too,” Koscielny told Arsenal Player. Every player who has played for Arsenal has grown here and has become a man. It’s a big number [of players].”
“For me and the others, it’s a good opportunity to be with him and learn from him. He’s passionate about football. He loves football and he loves to watch his team play well with the ball. That’s why he’s here again after 20 years.”
Whether that will be enough however if the Gunners go thirteen years without a league title this May remains to be seen. Wenger’s contract expires in the summer and no talks have reported to have taken place over a new one yet.
His influence over players such as Koscielny and others is no in doubt however, and if the boss does leave, it will surely have a seismic impact on the club and how it moves forward in the future.
