Transfer News: Laurent Koscielny Will Turn Down Bayern and Commit to Arsenal

Having taken longer than most fans would have expected to adapt to life in the Premier League, France and Arsenal center-back Laurent Koscielny had the season of his life in 2012-13, surpassing most football pundits' expectations of the player going into the campaign.

Those efforts did not go unnoticed, with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, arguably the two best sides in club football right now, both showing a keen interest in the defender.

However, it would appear as though Arsenal fans have found a player they can really rely on (a somewhat pleasant twist from the past few seasons), as Koscielny appears to be in no hurry to break the four-year contract that he has signed with the Gunners.

In an interview with French magazine La Montagne (via Sky Sports), he said:

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"I have a four-year contract. For now, I am still at Arsenal.

The most important thing is that Arsenal is in the Champions League. It is super exciting to play against the best teams in Europe."

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This public revelation from one of the best defenders in European football last season comes as a brilliant early summer gift.

Arsenal supporters have become somewhat used to seeing their favorite and most skillful players shine for a season, only to be poached by other clubs during the transfer window.

This year, things seem to be different, with Koscielny already announcing his intentions to stay and the potential arrival of Argentina and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, as reported by The Sun, in the coming weeks.

This summer already feels different from an Arsenal perspective to what we have been witnessing for a little while now, and that is an incredibly encouraging thought for followers of the Gunners.

Perhaps this will finally be the year that Arsene Wenger's men end their eight-year-long trophy drought. If the preseason signs are anything to go by, then that could very well be the case.

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