Arsenal Laurent Koscielny fall out could get very ugly very quickly

Any chance that Arsenal and Laurent Koscielny had to resolve their differences appear to be fading fast with news that the Frenchman is taking legal advice after being offered a contract with a 50 per cent pay cut

To be honest it all seems a little complicated to me.

Apparently, Koscielny is furious that he was offered a two-year extension at 50% of his current wage and that is why he is taking legal action.

How does that make sense? You don’t like the contract you turn it down, what you do not do is take out legal action and refuse to tour.

It is understandable that the 33-year-old wants to secure his future as his career winds down but he has a contract and he has to honour that or face the consequences.

By going down the route of using lawyers he will not achieve anything less than Arsenal digging in and standing their ground.

It is also making it impossible for there to be any form of reconciliation but maybe that is what he is going for anyway.

Koscielny wants a free transfer, that is simply not going to happen, not when Arsenal want as much as £8.8 Million for him, though, in all fairness, that is ridiculous as well.

The only realistic solution to this is that Koscielny buys his contract out or sits in the reserves for 12 months.

Though there is still a chance a club will offer a transfer fee but Arsenal will need to drop their valuation significantly.

The bottom line is that this is now a mess with legal teams involved, not exactly the legacy Koscielny will have wanted.

28 Comments

  1. I think there’s more to it thank just his contract being slashed. As the days goes by and more information comes to light, it will become clearer soon and the main reason behind his actions will be known.

    1. Yes, we can only know his real reasons when he sues Arsenal

      If Arsenal or anybody at the club treated him unprofessionally, he has the right to bring his problem to the court. Otherwise he has to work professionally

      His actions remind me of some spoilt locals/ elitists in some rich countries and some protesters in some first world countries, where the labor unions are very strong

    2. I think you are right. So many stories flying about- hard to tell the truth since no official word other than what the club and coach have said. Everything else is opinions and hearsay!

      It is the onus of the club to take up it’s option to extend Kos’s contract- that option has been paid for. It remains to be seen if that option comes with a 50% pay cut. What we know is that Kos on agreeing his previous contract extension agreed to the option being inserted in that contract. Turning his back on that agreement over any other non-written agreement is legal folly.

      I can understand the appeal of a longer term (2-year) contract from his home country – France. However a signed agreement supersedes any verbal or gentleman’s deal subsequently made. Any arguments that he has been a loyal servant to the club should be tempered with his last fully paid injury lay off…

      The club should be able to sell that option for a fee to boost it’s transfer kitty or hold on to a very experienced player while we wait a year for Saliba.

      At the end of the day, if whatever Bordeaux or the other French clubs have promised to pay him cannot be paid in addition to a (what is undoubtedly a modest) transfer fee to secure his services, then his services have been undervalued; and he has been sold on the idea of a contract which includes a fee payable to Arsenal as part of his wages. He must know that given the Ramsey debacle, the club would be remiss to let another player with a resale value leave for free.

    3. There is more to this than meets the eye! His current contract has been broken by him not touring. If anyone has legal grounds it is Arsenal! Something smells fishy to me..

  2. I think this is a fantastic opportunity for the club to not only send a message to the squad, but to all other potential signings, that we don’t mess about anymore. For years we’ve been acting more like a charity, than a football club, and our reputation has been taking a beating. Restoring our reputation will be a long process, but dealing strongly with Kos (selling him at a price WE want, or forcing him to play in the reserves), will be a step in the right direction.

    1. You couldn’t have said it any better. Let him run down his contract and rot in the reserve. He was well paid for his active service, even when he was injured. So, let no1 preach loyalty here cos players themselves aren’t loyal anymore.

      1. I’m very saddened to see such comments from fans about Kos. He has been a loyal servant to this Club for years and here these fans are judging without knowing facts.

        For every action there is a reaction. I feel that what we’re seeing from our dear Captain is a “REACTION “ to an action the club may have taken against him. He has been pushed by Arsenal and he had to take his stance.

        For all we know, Koscielny might be the victim here of a corrupt organization like Arsenal. That’s why they were very fast in giving a statement to make it look as if Kos is the bad guy.

        Olivier Giroud says Laurent Koscielny “very hurt” by Arsenal rift, warns not to judge without knowing facts. It’s not a secret that Kos really loves the club, during his prime years he could have moved on to bigger clubs like most his teammates then but he stayed.

        1. It is indeed shocking Ann. No respect, he should have been reward with extension and a bonus for being loyal.
          Or if course release him, that is outrageous and shame.
          Ingrates owner, we know that, for fans to state horrors sound like pro Kroenke or paid by him

    2. Well said. We’ve given out so many contracts just to be nice. Has to end. There shouldn’t be a way back for a captain that behaves like this. Rot in the U-23 or sell. And I don’t really care what Kos’ reasoning is. Refusing to get on a plane is disrespectful to your employer, who is literally paying you millions. If you can’t deal with things behind closed doors and instead protest, you shouldn’t be captain. I keep saying that even Sergio Ramos has more respect than this and his relationship with Florentino Perez is terrible.

  3. This is quite simply. In the law of contract, Koscielny is expected to honor the terms of his contact. Unfortunately for him, he still has a year left. If the contract is to be terminated, it must be on mutual consent, ie Arsenal and Koscielny’s camp agreeing to it. Otherwise, a club or the player himself is expected to buy out the remaining year of his contract. Koscielny is a professional and he should know this! He already breached the terms of his contract by not going on the tour to US. I wish Arsenal can really punish him. F**k loyalty, right from the days of Van Persie, royalty in football had died. No player is bigger than the club.
    We’ve had players that were comfortable sitting on the bench and earning lots of money every week without allowing the club terminate their contracts. Let him stay and run down his contract with the reserves. Rubbish! He seems like he is just too happy to soil his fine legacy…

  4. Get him out of the club – whatever the cost. We don’t need another sulking baby like Alexi was around the club.

    Get him out of the club and if need be just promote one of the kids. Arsenal don’t owe him anything! He had a contract and he has been paid a good wage – at the moment he is not fulfilling his contract which is unprofessional and out of order.

    Those that say he has been loyal to the club etc…yes he has but so what! He has been paid for it and has a contract that he is in breach of by not playing.

    So thanks Kos but it’s time to go mate…no one is bigger than the club.

  5. So while we are trying to get “exciting “players, them spuds are in talks to sign Fernando llorente a player they just released. Those gunners on here always comparing us to spurs and saying spurs are doing better…..

    1. Llorente is old, but he could be a super sub like Giroud

      I hope Arsenal beat Spurs again for his signature

  6. Is it so difficult for him to honour his contract. The club has the right to offer him 2 years extension at half the wages he is on presently and he also has every right to say NO thank you and see out his contract or buy himself out but he chooses to ridicule the club by asking for him to be released for free so that he can sign better deal than he currently on with Bordeaux. Does he think we are a charity organization, actually we were and we are saying no more. This is a club we have all being criticizing for mismanaging her assets and this why I don’t understand some fans saying we should let off for free.

  7. Best just say Thank you and bye bye.
    Oh, before you shut the door behind you, remember how many times we paid you and nursed you while you were injured, then let you rehab at your own pace, yeah, cheers mate, loyalty works both ways……

  8. We don’t know the whole story, so no one knows what the truth is. However, in terms of handling the situation, consider this

    Ramsey wanted big wages, Kos offer was a pay cut, how did they handle their dissatisfaction?

    Ramsey played his last year and gave his best honoring his contract, a real professional. Kos throws a tantrum,refuses to go on tour, and wants club to ignore the last year on contract (that he willing signed!) and let him leave on a free to play elsewhere.

    Sure there are age differences, but both have similar service time at club. Ramsey was professional til the end, Kos acting entitled.

    Lower his fee, and send him to U-23 to finish his last year on the bench. No one is bigger than the club, and they can’t have players openingly revolting.

    1. Don’t forget, Ramsey contract offer was taken back by club, yet he was professional and honored the contract he signed.

      Kos merely disagreed with the terms, and wants out of the last year for free, for nothing.

      Has to be more to the story, but the difference in their behavior is shocking. Now Kos seeking legal advice?

      Kos tarnished his legacy while Ramsey cemented his.

  9. HANG ON EVERYONE, JUST READ THIS AGAIN!!!

    Kos was offered a TWO YEAR EXTENSION? That would mean he would be with us till he is 36, earning, if the 50% cut is true, £7,280,000 before deductions and including the coming season at reported £70,000 a week.

    Is this what was meant to happen under the new set up? Wasn’t this ridiculous kind of contract going to end once the wicked one left?

    If Kos is kicking up about this kind of ridiculous, unbelievable waste of our clubs money, he has no moral ground whatsoever.

    Yet again, we have proof that the blame aimed at one man was so wrong, unless of course one wants to question what admin is reporting.
    First Lichs at £70,000 a week, then Suares on who knows what for approx. 45 minutes of football and now this!!!

    I said it would unravel slowly but surely and here is further proof…watch the haters try to explain this one away.
    Unlike them, I don’t blame UE, it’s the morons who offered this that are going to ruin the club.

    1. Agree. The ppl who offered Kos a 2 year deal are nuts. We should’ve been shifting him on either this summer or next summer regardless, not offering extensions. Emery has to have some say in who gets extensions though? And of course we are assuming this report is true.

      1. RSH, I would assume that UE has a say as far as whether he wants the player to stay or get a contract extension.

        As far as the money side of it goes, that would surely be for those whose job it is to oversee contracts/extensions of said, plus transfer fees…just as I always felt it was in previous years ie gazidis!!

        I did hint at the viability of the report, but adminmartin has obviously done his homework regarding lawyers etc.

  10. It would be healthier for arsenal to get rid of kos and some other dissidents coz I believe psychologically kos’s irrational decision has been induced somehow and the dissidents have sensed their days are numbered going by the trend of the rumoured acquisitions
    We never wish for a mutiny in the player power’s syndrome as was seen elsewhere in the footballing world

  11. The minnimum wage in this country is £8.21pph for over 25 year olds ……………………no wonder Koz is furious !………….Arsenal haven`t a leg to stand on offering him £4.11 and a half pence per hour for 2 years !…………….shame on you Arsenal!

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