Francis Coquelin says he has no regrets about his time with Arsenal, and he needed to move on for the sake of his career.
The Frenchman completed a move to Spain earlier this week, and says game time was the driving force behind his departure.
He told L’Equipe (via GFFN): “I am at an important stage in my career. I had little game time with Arsenal. And I wanted to see and experience something else. I chose a club with a strong history, and that is welcoming. And right away, I felt great here.
“Yes, I was playing matches, but not necessarily the most important ones… I still need to grow.”
The French publication asked Coquelin whether he felt he had unfinished business with the Gunners.
The 26-year-old answered: “Honestly no. In 2014, when I was coming to the end of my contract, I would have if I had left. Things started to click at the point in time, and we won many games. We won a cup, finished in the top four on multiple occasions. I can’t be disappointed about that.”
The midfielder made his debut for Valencia on Saturday, in a match against Deportivo La Coruna. By all accounts, he had a very solid game, considering the circumstances. Playing for a new team when you weren’t even starting regularly for your old one can’t be easy.
Despite all that, the Frenchman managed 90% pass accuracy, three clearances, one interception and three tackles. He also won 5/8 of his duels and created one chance (stats via Sofascore). Nothing too spectacular, but Valencia won’t care if they get the job done. They won the match 2-1.
From the looks of things, Coquelin is trying to put his Arsenal past behind him for now. He clearly has good feelings for the club, but he needs to focus on his new team, which is fair enough. Hence the video of him brushing off a Gunners scarf when taking a photo with a fan.
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It’s time to move on, so good luck to him for the rest of the season!