Signed by Arsene Wenger from Lorient in the summer transfer window of 2010 for a fee of £8.75 million, Laurent Koscielny has developed into an excellent centre-back from the mediocre player he once was.
A defender who is supremely quick, Koscielny uses his pace with his aggressiveness to defend on the front foot, tight to the attacker as he always looks to snuff out an attack before it can even fully get into motion by intercepting the ball, thus strangling the supply to the opposition forwards.
If the gamble Koscielny takes in defending on the front foot does not pay off, his defensive partner, the German Mertesacker, covers for him or the pace the Frenchman possesses enables him to catch up. The partnership that has been forged between the two is in itself one of the best in the Premier League and will potentially get better following the acquisition of goalkeeper, Petr Cech.
Season overview:
The 2014-2015 season was a good one for Koscielny as Arsenal finished third in the Premier League and successfully defended their FA Cup win of 2014 with another victory in 2015. The French defender played 27 league matches, scored three goals, and kept 11 clean sheets but his total amount of matches in the league were shortened by an Achilles tendon inflammation that was an injury which had been causing complaints for Koscielny from the previous campaign.
However, there were some key mistakes in the season that cost Arsenal in some very important matches. It was his foul on Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over the Gunners in October that provided the Belgian with a penalty which he duly converted for the opening goal of the game. It was Koscielny who was meant to be marking Harry Kane when the Englishman nodded in Bentaleb’s cross for the winning goal in the North London derby in February.
Imperious performances, such as the one in the Gunners' 2-0 victory over the 2013-2014 champions Manchester City at the Etihad and in the opening match of the season versus Crystal Palace, coupled with the general consistency in his performances, means that Koscielny has cemented his place as one of the leading central defenders in the Premier League.
Which other players rival Koscielny?
John Terry:
The Chelsea centre-back was captain of the side that won the league in 2014-2015 and only the second outfield player in Premier League history to have played every single minute of a league winning campaign after Gary Pallister for Manchester United in 1992-1993.
The English defender is a different type of defender to Koscielny and is 1cm taller, at 187cm, and 14kg heavier, at 90kg, as well as being far slower. Terry’s defensive partner, Gary Cahill, does the 'Koscielny role' for Chelsea in terms of getting close to the opposition forward whilst Terry is more similar to Mertesacker in his approach, sitting a bit deeper, as to not expose his lack of pace, and reading the game.
The 34-year-old scored five league goals in 2014-2015 and broke the record for the highest scoring defender in Premier League history, topping David Unsworth’s 38 with his 39th. Along with his goal-scoring exploits, Terry was integral to a defence that kept 17 clean sheets but he did play 11 more matches than Koscielny.
Terry has had to adapt his game but his season in 2014-2015 could be seen as good as any other season he has played, with Mourinho commenting that Terry’s performance in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates in April was the best he had ever played under him. Furthermore, Terry was voted into the PFA Team of the Year and finished third in the FWA Player of the Year vote, behind Harry Kane and club mate Eden Hazard, who won the accolade. It stands to be seen how long Terry will be able to continue with the consistency in the standard of his performances but so far, his age does not seem to be an obstacle.
Vincent Kompany:
The Manchester City captain had a poor season by his standards but should that be taken to be an anomaly or a sign of the regression that will ensue from here on in?
At his best, Kompany has captained his City side to two Premier League medals, being a key part of the Citizens spine alongside Joe Hart, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero.
A similar player to Koscielny in the way that he plays, Kompany looks to use his pace to get close to the forward and beat his man in a physical duel. Previously a defensive midfielder in his Hamburg days, that ability to pass the ball can be seen in the Belgian’s game as he is assured in possession and capable of feeding the ball to his midfield.
At his worst, as seen this season, Kompany is regularly caught out-of-position and leaves spaces that the opposition can easily exploit. The fact that Manchester City looked more defensively solid this season when Kompany was injured and Demichelis was partnered with summer signing Mangala speaks volumes. Capable of rivalling Koscielny and the Belgian has done so in the past but this season, he was nowhere near the level of the other top Premier League centre-backs; he wasn’t even the best at his own club.
Jose Fonte:
The Southampton man was handed the captaincy of the club following the departure of Adam Lallana to Liverpool in the summer transfer window of 2014 and repaid the faith shown to him with a fantastic campaign in 2014-2015. The Portuguese centre-back played every game apart from one and was part of a unit that kept 15 clean sheets whilst he was on the pitch.
The 31-year-old has gotten better with age and seems to have greatly benefitted from the stability of staying for a prolonged period at one club. He joined Southampton in 2010 when the club was in the third tier of English football and has risen with his team to the Premier League, his level of ability going up along with the team from the south-coast of England’s position in the English football pyramid.
Fonte was rewarded for his performances with the Saints with his first call up to the Portugal national side in October 2014 and made his debut as a 30-year-old. Now a fixture in the Portugal side and widely recognised as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, means that Fonte is a definite rival to Koscielny.
Future rivals?
The quality of centre-back in the Premier League in the present day is as low as it has been in many a year, with the regression and departure of Vidic, Ferdinand, and Carragher being evidence for the point.
But it looks like more of a focus will be placed on defenders with the transfer window bringing up rumours of Sergio Ramos swapping Real Madrid for Manchester United, Nicolas Otamendi joining the Red Devils from Valencia, and Rafael Varane making his way to England, the standard of central defender in the Premier League looks to be on the rise.
In addition, players who had been poor or average in 2014-2015 but were previously recognised as top centre-backs in the Premier League, like Jagielka and Vertonghen, and emerging talents, like Kurt Zouma and John Stones could add more talent to the centre-back pool in England's top flight by establishing or re-establishing themselves next season.
Will Koscielny and his rivals already in the Premier League continue in the face of more competition or falter?