Laurent Koscielny is reportedly the sole decision-maker on whether he extends his contract with Bordeaux this summer.
Former Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny signed a three-year contract with Bordeaux when he left North London, but it contained a two-year option to extend. With the initial three years coming to an end next summer, he now has a decision to make.
According to L’Equipe, that decision is his alone. Bordeaux don’t get a say in whether or not he extends the deal, they can only wait and see what he says. If he extends, it will cost them €5m.
If the Arsenal man does decide to leave, Bordeaux would need to reach an agreement to avoid the €5m being paid out to him anyway.
Even when he signed it, it did seem strange that Bordeaux were offering Koscielny such a long contract, and giving him so much power over how long he stayed. He’s already 36, and could potentially tie himself to the club for another two-and-a-half years.
Though Koscielny is a starter when he’s fit, it’s inevitable that he will be available less often as the years continue to go by.
In his first season with Bordeaux, Koscielny managed 28 appearances despite the pandemic cutting the season short, mostly remaining injury free. In his second, he managed 26 and suffered three injury absences for around a month each.
Now in his third season, Koscielny is sidelined with an ankle problem. After this weekend, he will have missed as many games as he’s played this campaign.
But it remains his decision if he wants to stay with Bordeaux, so they can only cross their fingers and hope that if he does, he’ll stay fit.