Age: 23
Nationality: French
Position: Defensive Midfield / Full Back
Interesting fact: From 2007 up until 2012 he made 43 appearances for the French national sides, starting with the under 17’s and finishing with the under 21’s.
Predominately a holding midfielder, Francis Coquelin started out at Arsenal in 2008. His debut came against Sheffield United in a 6-0 rout during the 08/09 season, and this proved to be a landmark year for the Frenchman, as soon after he played a vital role in helping the youth side to FA Cup victory. A few more cup appearances the year after followed, before he went on loan to Lorient during the 10/11 season. The combative midfielder came back a more rounded player and in the next two years he appeared for the Gunners 39 times. Last term he went on loan to Freiburg for further experience, and this year he’ll be looking to have a real shot at trying to gain the holding-midfield position on a regular basis.
How much will he play?
Now we’re out of the League Cup its unlikely that Coquelin will get much game time. One thing that should stand him in good stead though is that he is extremely versatile and can fill in at full-back or in the centre of midfield. If widespread injuries occur then he could find himself in the eleven, but at the moment it seems rather unlikely.
How well will he do?
When called upon in the past Coquelin has done quite well on the whole. A reliable player either at full-back or in centre midfield, he’ll be looking to stake more of a first-team claim this term. At 23, he is still relatively inexperienced, and if given a run of games he could be quite a good back-up player for us. For now though, chances will be at a premium for the Frenchman and it’s unlikely he’ll get to play on a regular basis.
Passing: 6/10
Tackling: 7/10
Crossing: 6.5/10
Speed: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Stamina: 7/10
Current value: £3 million
Potential value: £10 million
Overall rating: 6.5/10