Report: Koscielny to sign contract extension

According to a report from French outlet TF1, Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny will sign a new deal in the next few days extending his current contract by three years, in the face of alleged interest from other teams. The deal would be a big reward for a player coming off a breakout year, and a strong defense against further repeats of other Arsenal contract dramas.

Koscielny initially signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2010, and his original deal would have run out after the 2014 season. This year he made 42 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring three times - including a memorable go-ahead goal in the last game of the Premier League season against West Brom.

According to TF1, Inter Milan and Barcelona have been looking after Koscielny, which is part of what's spurring the offer - Wenger wants to take him comprehensively off the market and avoid having a situation with Koscielny next summer like the ones we've already experienced with Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie, and to a lesser extent (so far) Theo Walcott. And it's a good move, as Koscielny was certainly the best defensive player Arsenal had last year, and is still young enough at 26 to develop further. He's about to enter his prime, he's already showed a high level of competency, and he seems happy at Arsenal - this is exactly the kind of move that should be made.

The player's agent is in London today finalizing negotiations, and hopefully the club will be able to make an official announcement in the next few days.