Olivier Giroud had caused a fair bit of stir when he chose to leave Arsenal and for fellow London rivals Chelsea.
And now it looks like Laurent Koscielny is also doing the same thing by refusing to join Arsenal on their pre-season tour to the US.
The Gunners captain has refused to join training as he tries to force his way out of the club and head back to France. And it is being reported that some severe punishment is coming his way during the next couple of days.
And while most of his Gunners teammates have chosen not to comment on the whole scenario, Olivier Giroud though has come out to sympathize with his former teammate.
“Lolo is a good friend of mine,” said Giroud in an exclusive interview to the BBC.
“I’ve known him now for 10, 11 years. We played together in the second division [in France, at Tours].
“He’s been playing for Arsenal for nine years; he’s been the skipper for so many years – very respectful, very professional, always the best example for the young players.
“The club gave him the opportunity to play at Arsenal, and it was a big, big opportunity for him to show his quality in the Premier League.
“I think he has always been grateful about that and respectful to the club. I don’t understand how we have got to this situation.
“I feel very sad for him because he’s a great person and the media wants to give a bad image of him.
“I’m not at the club, I don’t know what really happened – but one thing for sure is Lolo is very hurt by what’s happening and he’s an emotional person.”
Olivier Giroud obviously turned around his career by choosing to join Chelsea as he has been receiving a fair amount of game time ever since he joined the Stamford Bridge outfit.
But with Laurent Koscielny, things might not be too rosy as he wants to head to France in order to join Bordeaux(reportedly) – away from all the glitz and glamour.
