Arsene Wenger Confirms Arsenal's Sale of Francis Coquelin to Valencia
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that French midfielder Francis Coquelin will shortly leave the club in a deal to join Valencia, bringing to an end the French midfielder's 10-year stay at the Emirates.
Coquelin joined the club in July 2008 after impressing on a trial from home nation club Stade Lavallois, and managed to establish himself in the first team after a series of loan spells with Lorient, Freiburg and Charlton Athletic respectively.
The 26-year-old, though, has often been called out by Arsenal fans for not being up to standard in an era where Arsenal have fallen behind England's leading clubs. Coquelin has made 105 Premier League appearances for the Gunners and signed a new deal this time last year, though has found first team action hard to come by so far in this campaign.
Wenger, speaking to the BBC after Wednesday night's 0-0 Carabao Cup semi-final draw with Chelsea, confirmed that he had agreed a deal to sell the player to the high-flying La Liga side, in a deal thought to be worth around £12m. The Mail however report that Valencia will pay closer to £10.6m, after initially proposing a loan deal until the end of the season to get around FFP.
He said on whether he had agreed a deal to sell: "Yes. He goes to Valencia because he didn't get enough games with us this season and he had an opportunity. I let him go."
Coquelin has made 159 appearances overall for Arsenal, but has never scored a goal. He has only managed 155 minutes in 7 Premier League appearances so far in 2017/18, but has managed to be a regular in the Europa League and League Cup.
