Laurent Koscielny was recently removed from the Bordeaux first-team squad, and he’s explained to the media how it happened.

fbl fra ligue1 bordeaux psg
Bordeaux’s French defender Laurent Koscielny (L) fights for the ball against Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward Kylian Mbappe during the French L1 football match between FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain at The Matmut Atlantique Stadium in Bordeaux, south-western France on November 6, 2021. (Photo by PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Recent reports confirmed that former Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny had been formally dropped from the Bordeaux first-team squad, with the club choosing to exclude him.

The reasons cited included individual errors on the pitch and his large salary, as he runs down his contract with the French club.

Koscielny told the media this week how he found out about the exclusion, and he didn’t hide his displeasure at the series of events.

“On Monday evening, after the side-lining of Mehdi Zerkane and Paul Baysse (two of Koscielny’s Bordeaux teammates) in the afternoon, the president called my agent to inform him,” Koscielny explained.

“On Tuesday morning I went to training as usual, but no one came to see me…

“Then, I had a meeting that afternoon with Gérard Lopez and Admar Lopes, who told me that they wanted to find a solution for the future, but that I could continue to train with the first team.

“I’m a footballer, so my passion is primarily to play, and also to set an example for my teammates as captain. So, I took it very hard. Let’s just say it was a right slap in the face.

“But I’m a fighter, I’ll continue to fight and do what it takes to stay at the top level and help the squad so that the team gets the best possible results.”

Laurent Koscielny comes off injured (Photo via Ligue1.com)
Laurent Koscielny comes off injured (Photo via Ligue1.com)

Koscielny had been somewhat regular in the Bordeaux squad this season, making 11 appearances in the first 20 Ligue 1 games of the campaign. He even pulled on the captain’s armband when he was involved. Yet now he’s out of contention.

Bordeaux’s three exclusions haven’t done them much good in the short term, as they lost 6-0 to Stade Rennais at the weekend, but you’d imagine they won’t want to go back on it now.