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What's the news?
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that club captain Laurent Koscielny could leave the club this summer, and is ready to offer the captain's armband to someone else. Defensive midfielder Granit Xhaka is a formidable candidate for the same, but Mesut Ozil and Nacho Monreal are touted as options too.
In case you didn't know...
Koscielny refused to join the squad for the US tour after reportedly wanting to move back to France.
The 33-year old is one of the longest-serving members of the Arsenal squad. The central defender joined the Gunners in 2010 from Ligue 1 side FC Lorient. Koscielny was given the captain's armband last season after long-time captain Per Mertesacker retired from football.
The French defender has made 353 appearances and scored 27 goals across all competitions for the Gunners in his nine seasons at the Emirates.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal manager Unai Emery in his press conference ahead of their International Champions Cup fixture against Fiorentina admitted that the center back could leave the side after refusing to travel for pre-season.
"Last year (Granit) Xhaka, Mesut (Ozil) and Nacho (Monreal) were working as captains. But after Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech left - and possibly Laurent Koscielny - I will want more.
We have players with the capacity [to be captain], one is Granit, he was a captain in the dressing room."
He iterated on the values that are built around the team due to a few individuals who are unfortunately not in Arsenal anymore.
"An English player who grew up in our academy can understand the English spirit and Arsenal values. We lost some players with big experience and a long time in England and Arsenal like Cech and Ramsey. We lost Koscielny too," he added.
What's next?
Arsenal after having won their opening International Champions Cup fixture against Bayern Munich will face Fiorentina followed by a match-up against Real Madrid.
The club will then travel to France to face Angers, followed by a trip to the Nou Camp for the Joan Camper Trophy.
