Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has surprisingly turned into a rebel as he refused to join the squad for their pre-season tour to the United States of America.
The centre-back played in only 17 Premier League games last season and many pundits had predicted that the Gunners would offload him this summer since he has just entered the final year of his contract.
And many believe this rebellion is a way of trying to convince the club management to sell him off but clearly, the club are not too happy with how their captain has chosen to protest.
“Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for our pre-season tour,” a statement on the club’s official website read.
“We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.
“We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
After this incident, Arsenal have launched disciplinary action against Laurent Koscielny and there is a very big chance that the defender is set to receive some severe punishment in the coming few weeks.
While some have wondered why the 33-year-old chose such an extreme way to protest, the Daily Mirror have now come out with a report claiming that it was a mix of contract disputes along with an exit interest which has forced Laurent Koscielny to take such a step.
The Daily Mirror reports:
“…Mirror Sport can reveal the background to the fall-out is that Koscielny has had a three-year contract offer from Bordeaux and is also upset at what he sees as being made to take a “substantial” pay cut by Arsenal.
“France defender Koscielny has one year left on his current £120,000-a-week deal, wanted an extension and had held discussions with the club about getting an extra 12 months.
“Arsenal were willing to give Koscielny a new two-year deal but because of his injury record, they offered a lower basic salary which included performance-related pay based on appearances and the option for a free transfer next summer.
“They also insist he could have ended up earning more with the extension than on his current deal with bonuses especially if Arsenal had got back into the Champions League.
“But Koscielny rejected the offer, has been left fuming and believes the club should allow him to leave for free now to take up the chance to go home to France with Bordeaux offering a three-year deal and that is why he is so upset with Arsenal.
“Mirror Sport understands the row has been brewing for some weeks and reached boiling point on Monday when Koscielny turned up and made it clear he did not want to train.”
