Arsenal stalwart sets tone for Sanchez and Ozil and will sign new contract until 2020

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Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny is reportedly on the verge of putting pen-to-paper on a new contract with the club which will keep him at the Emirates until 2020.

The 31-year-old joined the Gunners in 2010, and has gone on to make over 250 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s side in the time since.

According to L’Equipe, he’s ready to commit his long-term future to the club, which will make him the longest serving French player in Arsenal’s history as he would surpass the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires.

As noted in the report, the new deal will make Koscielny one of the top paid players at the club, and will likely allow him to finish his career in north London depending on when he wishes to call time on his playing career.

Given that his current deal runs until 2019, it will be a welcome boost for the player too to have his loyalty and level of consistency rewarded at a critical time in the campaign, with Arsenal pushing hard this season to compete for silverware.

It arguably isn’t the news that Gunners fans wanted to hear first though, as The Daily Star note that it’s a little bit of a surprise considering that many believed Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil would be the next high-profile stars to pen new contracts.

Nevertheless, given that he has now been a solid presence in the Arsenal backline for a number of years and with his leadership, defensive abilities and overall contribution to the Gunners proving crucial to their chances of success moving forward, it will be a real boost for all concerned to see him sign off on a new agreement.

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