Former Arsenal star Francis Coquelin has opened up on his time at the Gunners, and praised former teammates Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil. The midfielder, now playing under Unai Emery at Villarreal, joined Arsenal in 2008, and made 160 appearances for the club.
Despite a near 10-year stay in north London, Coquelin failed to nail down a regular place in the Gunners side and was sent out on loan a number of times. In January 2018 he signed for Valencia, but it's fair to say the FA Cup winner has fond memories of playing under Arsene Wenger.
“It was amazing!” he told So Foot, as reported by the Evening Standard. “I was playing with Santi Cazorla and Mesut Özil in front of me. I could send them rubbish balls, and they controlled them with ease.
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“The understanding I had with Cazorla particularly stayed with me. He’s really impressive. I could do what I wanted on the pitch, I knew he would always there as a guarantee.”
Coquelin's praise of Cazorla and Ozil is perhaps unsurprising, considering both were technically gifted and were once adored by the fans. But it's actually another Arsenal legend who Coquelin has previously heaped praise on for influencing his career.
“I was very young when Arsenal signed me,” the French midfielder said to the El Periodico Meditteraneo. “I wasn’t even 18 years old. I learnt a lot there, and was trained as player and a person. I was, between loans, 10 years at Arsenal. It’s a lifetime. It is my home.
"He [Wenger] signed me, he made me work hard, he taught me… he’s like second father to me. Arsène was a very important person in my career, because he helped me both in football and in person," he added. “I will always thank him for the trust he placed in me”.
Coquelin was part of the Villarreal side who played against against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night. Arnaut Danjuma’s early goal gave Unai Emery's side an early lead, and Coquelin thought he had scored just before the break after his attempted cross flew into the net, but referee Anthony Taylor was told the French midfielder had been offside after a VAR check.
