Laurent Koscielny signs for Bordeaux

Laurent Koscielny has officially signed for the Girondins de Bordeaux. The club is thrilled to welcome the France international, who joins us from Arsenal. Ten years after waving goodbye to Ligue 1, Laurent has chosen Bordeaux for his return to France. Born on 10th September 1985 in Tulle, Laurent Koscielny entered the En Avant Guingamp youth academy in 2003. After three professional seasons and 47 matches with EAG, he joined Tours FC (National) in 2007. The club finished second that season, winning promotion to Ligue 2. After another excellent season in 2008-2009, he moved to FC Lorient. After a successful campaign in Brittany, Koscielny caught the eye of a number of leading European clubs, including Arsenal. He finally joined the Gunners in 2010, rapidly establishing himself as the rock at the centre of the Londoners' defence. His performances also impressed national coach Laurent Blanc, who handed him his first full cap on 11th November 2011 in the 1-0 victory over the USA. After another excellent season in 2012-2013, he was voted runner-up in the Premier League player of the year poll. Laurent Koscielny has won three FA Cups (2014, 2015, 2017) and three Community Shields with Arsenal (2014, 2015, 2017), including victories over Manchester City (3-0) and twice over Chelsea (1-0 ; 1-1 (4-1 on pens)). His dependably solid performances made him an undisputed fixture in the France first XI during Euro 2016. In 2018, an injury picked up in the Europa League semi-final against Atlético Madrid put Laurent in the heartbreaking position of missing out on the World Cup triumph in Russia. His current haul is 51 caps with the national team, and 1 goal. In almost a decade at Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny had made 353 appearances and scored 27 goals. The club is absolutely delighted to welcome a player with such a wealth of top-level international experience. And now we can't wait to see him in action with the boys in blue! Bienvenue Laurent !