Barcelona need Koscielny but Arsenal can’t afford to sell him

Laurent Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny has been a sturdy and reliable defender for Arsenal since arriving in 2010 and has played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s late charge for the Champions League last season. After these performances it came as no surprise when Barcelona sounded their interest in the defender.

Koscielny has become a target for Barcelona this transfer window and with the Catalonian giants looking to sure up their defence and find a long-term replacement for Carlos Puyol, it looks like they have found what they are looking for. Koscielny would suit the way Barca’s defensive structure and would bring some much needed bite to the back line. Young defenders like Marc Bartra, Martin Montoya and Carlos Planas are prepared to step up in the future but Barcelona could do with a player who defends a little differently and show how to tackle hard and tackle fair.

With Barcelona struggling with the height and physicality of Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League semi final, it looks like the Spanish club want to add a taller, stronger defender to the squad to make sure they can cope with set pieces. Unfortunately, Barcelona and Arsenal have a chequered past when it comes to transfers between the clubs. Cesc Fabregas was signed by Arsenal from Barcelona which Barcelona didn’t feel happy about. Arsenal then sold him back to Barcelona for a handsome profit. Alex Song was involved in a smash and grab transfer last summer which left Arsene Wenger fuming.

Arsenal will not want Koscielny to go and for good reason but now Koscielny has to make a career decision. Does he stay with Arsenal and most likely retire there or make a move to Barcelona as he may well regret this later. At 27, he will need to make a choice about where his future lies as this would likely be a last big move of his career.

If Arsenal want to get into negotiations with Barcelona about the potential transfer, which may be in the region of £15-25m, it would be in their best interest to get a few players in return. If the transfer is around £15m, Arsene Wenger could do a swap with Cristian Tello and Martin Montoya coming the other way. Tello would give another attacking option and Montoya could fill a possible void at right back if the club sell Barcary Sagna. These would be strong negotiating tactics, but Arsenal are under no pressure to sell and have no desire to.