Arsenal have confirmed the departure of Laurent Koscielny to Bordeaux this summer. The 33-year-old had made the intention clear to leave the club after refusing to travel with the first-team squad for the pre-season tour of the United States and the Gunners have now sanctioned his departure after agreeing on a package of around £4.6m with the French outfit.

“Laurent Koscielny is leaving us to join Ligue 1 side Bordeaux. The centre back has made 353 appearances for us since signing from Lorient in 2010. He was part of our Emirates FA Cup-winning squads in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Laurent, who started his career in the French second division at Guingamp in 2004, has played 51 matches for France and was entering the final year of his current contract with us. We decided to sanction his move to Bordeaux once we agreed acceptable transfer terms. We thank Laurent for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future,” a statement read on the club’s official website.

Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi has said that Manchester City are the favourites to secure the Premier League title for the third-straight season next term. The Citizens had a tough challenge last season as they scrapped through to the title by the single point over Liverpool and they now have the opportunity to secure a hat-trick of Premier League crowns.

Speaking to reporters, Iwobi said that the Reds could offer strong competition to the Citizens once more but the latter should dominate the proceedings with the experience of getting over the line in the Premier League title race, he told: "Everyone thought that last season, but Liverpool give them a tough challenge as well.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has urged for patience from the club’s supporters as he looks to transform the side into one of the world’s best. The north London giants have recently stumbled in their top-four pursuit with back-to-back losses against Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers and they are now dependent on Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea dropping points for them to make the top four.

Speaking in a press conference, Emery highlighted that he has the ambition of helping the Gunners to return to their glory days but that will be a long-term process with the elite teams around them, he said: “We want to get with this club to point where we the best club in England and the world. But it is a long process. Sometimes, like today, we need to talk about patience. We want to play in the Champions League but also we know our process needs to be with patience because there are another five very strong teams with very good players and very big performances.”

ESPN pundit Steve Nicol does not believe Arsenal will part ways with either Mesut Ozil or Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the end of the season. The north London side have experienced a mixed set of fortunes across all competitions but they still have a good chance of making the Champions League next term.

Speaking to ESPN, Nicol highlighted that the Gunners would prefer sanctioning the sale of Ozil in the summer but the same won’t happen, considering the hefty £350,000-a-week wages he is currently on, he said: “I’m sure they’d love to [sell Ozil] but it’s not going to happen for that very reason [his wages]. Plus you add the fact that he’s not a regular starter. “So no, he goes nowhere, that’s a miss.”

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said that the club’s players are hungry to make their comeback to the Champions League next term. The Gunners have failed to qualify for the competition in each of the past two seasons but they are on course to end the drought during the ongoing campaign.

In a report covered by The Independent, the Gabon international acknowledged that the club are desperate to make the return to the elite competition next term, he said: “We know that it will be tough but we want to do something. We want to get back into the Champions League.

This season has been a strange one for Arsenal fans with the current saga involving star player Mesut Ozil and coach Unai Emery. The benching of one of the best player in the squad continues to baffle many as the Gunners look to return to the Champions League and a possible challenge for the Europa League.

This season was meant to be the season where Ozil became the bonafide leader of the team with the sale of Alexis Sanchez last January. The German had endured a terrible campaign at the 2018 World Cup which resulted in a fall-out with the German Football Association.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has reiterated the importance of Mesut Ozil to the Gunners despite his struggles for playing time over the past few months. The former Germany international recently returned to the matchday squad against Chelsea after an extended absence with a knee injury but he remained an unused substitute through the game.

Speaking after the derby triumph, Emery admitted that the German was fit enough to feature against the Blues but he decided against picking him from the bench. However, he added that the midfielder remains an important player within the ranks and he could participate for the Gunners during the forthcoming run of matches.

Former Arsenal star, Andrey Arshavin recently announced his retirement from professional football after his short spell in Kazakhstan for Kairat.

The Russian maestro ended his career at the Kazakhstan club FC Kairat this year, a decade after announcing himself to the world in the 2008 European Championships for Russia.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has revealed that the decision to bench Mesut Ozil against Bournemouth was a tactical decision made before the game. The German attacker had been fully rested after the international break but Emery nonetheless decided to drop him to the substitutes’ bench with Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan getting the nod ahead of him.

Speaking after the game, Emery highlighted that the decision was made based on the physicality and strong workrate in the ranks of Bournemouth, he said:“We thought about how we can be better in the match today, with a very demanding match physically with their intensity against us and we decided [to leave Ozil on the bench]. But every player is important. Also today we tried with three centre-backs. It’s another opportunity to improve and find our best performance.”

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery has challenged defender Rob Holding to earn a permanent starting role by putting up a strong performance in the upcoming League Cup game against Brentford. The youngster made his first appearance for the Gunners during the thumping 4-2 win over Vorskla in the Europa League and he was thereafter called upon to make an early appearance from the bench against Everton after Sokratis suffered a knock during the 2-0 Premier League triumph.

Speaking to Sky Sports at the FIFA Best Men’s award, Emery highlighted that every player must take the chance on offer and suggested that Holding has the perfect opportunity to establish himself as a regular at the heart of the club’s backline, he said: “We need every player when chances and opportunities are coming because we need to also take more players to play.