This week we'll announce the Vitality Player of the Season for 2016/17 - as voted for by you, the fans.
In third place is Laurent Koscielny. The French centre back was the model of consistency in Arsène Wenger’s side as stand-in skipper during 2016/17.
Arsenal.com news editor Rob Kelly gives his verdict on the 31-year-old.
He may not be cut from the same cloth as some of our rabble-rousing captains of days gone by, but no one should question the authority Laurent Koscielny has on this Arsenal side.
Universally respected, it is a measure of his importance that his suspension for the Emirates FA Cup final has been interpreted across the board as a seismic blow.
The France international is nearing his seventh year in north London, and has steadily established himself as one of Europe’s premier defenders – and our stand-in skipper this term.
With Per Mertesacker sidelined at the start of the season, Koscielny took the armband and performed his new job with the quiet confidence that epitomises the man.
His stunning overhead kick to equalise against Southampton was certainly his most eye-catching intervention of the campaign, but arguably his most important was his last-gasp winner at Burnley.
It may not have been the most aesthetically pleasing of goals, but it was yet another example of Koscielny stepping up when his team needs him most. You can add it to his highlights reel, which includes important strikes on the final day of the 2011/12 and 2013/4 seasons, and an equaliser in the 2014 FA Cup final.
That he will miss this year’s showpiece at Wembley is unquestionably problematic, but it should not detract from what has been another stellar season for this most unassuming of defenders.
WHAT THEY SAID:
“I’ve worked closely with Laurent ever since I arrived here and it’s been great to witness his continued progression. He’s really developed his skills in so many areas - his defending, his communication and how he’s handled becoming a key player for this club. It’s an absolute joy to watch him play because he has all the ingredients to be a top defender, which he is.”
Per Mertesacker on Koscielny’s new contract
“It was his birthday, and what I liked is that he made that [goal] at 1-0 down. Not when you have scored three or four already and that shows he is a special character.”
Arsene Wenger on Koscielny’s overhead kick against Southampton
FINEST MOMENTS:
Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea
Premier League
September 24, 2016
On a day that everything went right for us, one moment summed up the commitment and energy coursing through Arsenal veins. The first half may have seen us blow the Blues away with three goals, but in the second the fans were off their feet to applaud Koscielny as he flew into a perfectly-timed, full-blooded challenge on our bete noire, Diego Costa.
Arsenal 2-1 Southampton
Premier League
September 10, 2016
We were up against it in the first half against a stubborn Saints side after a Petr Cech own goal gave the visitors an early lead at Emirates Stadium - but then Koscielny took centre stage. The France international marked his 31st birthday with a stunning overhead kick from a corner to equalise, in a goal that finished second in our Goal of the Month poll.
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