Arsenal: Has Arsene Wenger Unearthed Another Gem in Laurent Koscielny?

Arsene Wenger is an astute manager, and under his stewardship Arsenal have been a major force to reckon with. The only major criticism labelled against the Frenchman is his reluctance to spend large money in the transfer market, even if the funds are available. But the Frenchman has an uncanny knack of unearthing special talents from different countries, whose services can be obtained for a relatively small investment.

Last year, Wenger had to sign a quality defender, following Kolo Toure's departure to Manchester City. The Frenchman duly brought in a relatively little-known centre back from Ajax, Thomas Vermaelen, who proved to be a revelation for the Gunners and emerged as one of their most important players.

Following the departures of William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, and Sol Campbell, Arsenal was in the midst of a defensive crisis in the summer. Arsenal was linked to a number of defenders, including Phil Jagielka and Per Mertesacker, amongst a host of other defenders, but Wenger splashed the cash on a player who had only played one season at the senior level for his club, Lorient FC.

Not much was known about Laurent Koscielny when he arrived at the Emirates, apart from the expectation of talent among Arsenal supporters because the usually frugal Wenger spent nearly 9 million to procure his services. And Koscielny was certainly impressive in his first appearance at the Emirates, against AC Milan in the Emirates Cup, in which another new boy, Marouane Chamakh, scored his first home goal for the Gunners.

Koscielny has since been an integral part of the Arsenal defence. So far this season he has started all the games for the Gunners, barring the game against Blackpool that he missed on account of suspension. He seems to be a very competent defender, and over the course of the season Arsenal supporters will get to see the best of him as he adjusts better to the rigours of the premiership.

The early signs from the French defender are very promising. He is a very strong and uncompromising defender, despite being quite thin. He has admitted the need to bulk up a little to avoid being muscled out by strong players like Diouf, who powered past Koscielny to set up the goal for Blackburn Rovers. He has made a couple of errors in this season, against Bolton and Blackburn, but with experience he should be able to cut out these mistakes.

The most delightful aspect of his play is the way he reads and understands the game. He intercepts many passes and has the technique and ability to bring out the ball from the back. He is a good tackler as well, and is unfazed by one-on-one situations. His challenge on Aaron Lennon, preventing him from getting his shot away, is a clear example of his intelligent defending and great tackling ability.

He has also got good aerial ability, despite not being a very tall defender, and wins numerous aerial battles with the opposition strikers. He is a no-nonsense defender who cleans up loose balls and clears hopeful long balls with relative ease. He does not have a lot of pace, as was exposed by Fernando Torres, but his good anticipation and positioning will help him hold his own against the best.

The lad is not one to flinch away from a challenge, and despite getting bruised on more than one occasion when standing up to Kevin Davies in aerial duels, he did not back down, and won numerous headers against the vastly experienced striker. He was also badly hurt by the challenge by Joe Cole, for which the Englishman was sent off, but bravely took the field for the second half.

He will face strong competition from the experienced Sebastien Squillaci for a starting place in the eleven alongside the impressive Vermaelen at the heart of defence. This competition between the two Frenchmen will only increase the quality of the Arsenal defence.

It is still early days for making a judgement on the value of Laurent Koscielny to the Gunners, but based on these initial signs it sure looks like Arsene Wenger has unearthed another gem for Arsenal.