One former Arsenal defender signed by Arsene Wenger has now taken on a sporting director role with a European club.
Ex-Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny is now the sporting director of Lorient.
The French club officially announced his appointment on X. This role marks Koscielny’s first step into the world of being a sporting director, having previously taken charge of the club’s under-17s side.
The 38-year-old began his career at Guingamp, and featured for Tours and Lorient, before making the move to Arsenal in the summer of 2010, when then-manager Arsene Wenger paid £8.5 million to secure his services.
The Frenchman spent nine seasons on the books at the Emirates Stadium, making 353 appearances for the club, across all competitions, and scoring 27 goals. Koscielny won three FA Cups in his time in North London, and impressed with his tenacity and consistency at the back. He also formed successful partnerships with the likes of Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker over the course of his Arsenal career.
Koscielny announced his retirement in 2022.
Laurent Koscielny following path of former Arsenal star Edu
In his post-playing career, the 51-cap former France international is now following in the footsteps of fellow ex-Arsenal star Edu, who is the Gunners’ sporting director.
Edu is another who was brought to the club by Wenger, and he played an important role for the club in the 2003/04 season, when Arsenal won the Premier League title without losing a single game. Edu recently reflected upon the Invincibles’ triumph, along with a number of other Arsenal legends.
The Brazilian returned to North London in 2019, just a few months before Mikel Arteta took up his place in the dugout. Since then, the duo of former midfielders have been working in tandem to make the Gunners title contenders once again.
The task now facing Edu at Arsenal this summer
They have achieved that aim, as Arsenal are now a club considered capable of competing for the biggest prizes in the game. However, the task now is to go one step further and bring silverware to the Emirates Stadium.
Edu will be busy over the course of the summer transfer window, as his role is focused upon the club’s transfer dealings. He will be seeking to strengthen Arteta’s squad to the extent required to make them champions next season.
Meanwhile, Koscielny will now set about getting to grips with his own sporting director duties ahead of the new Ligue 2 season.