Former Gunner returns to childhood club on 1yr+ deal

The 35-year-old has signed a one-year deal, with an option for another season, and is set for a final chapter where his career began.

Francis Coquelin has returned to his childhood club, signing for Stade Lavallois 18 years after leaving their academy for Arsenal.

The 35-year-old midfielder was born in Laval and came through the Stade Lavallois youth system before Arsenal took him to London as a teenager in 2008.

He never made a first-team appearance for Laval before that move, but will now have the chance to do so after agreeing a one-year deal, with an option for a further season.

Coquelin was a free agent after leaving FC Nantes, where he spent the past 18 months. His return to Mayenne gives him the chance to finish his career where it began.

It will also be his first time playing in Ligue 2 and his first senior appearance at the Stade Francis Le Basser.

Coquelin went on to make 160 appearances for Arsenal between 2008 and 2018, after loan spells at Lorient, Freiburg and Charlton Athletic.

He later moved permanently to Valencia, where he won the Spanish Cup in 2019, then Villarreal, where he won the Europa League in 2021 to add to the two FA Cups he won with Arsenal.

Coquelin remains a popular figure with Arsenal fans, a midfielder who left France young, fought his way back into relevance in north London and built a long career across England, Spain and France.

Now his career has come full circle. After leaving Laval before ever playing for their senior side, Coquelin is back at the club that helped form him, with one final chapter to write at home.

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