Koscielny joy at France call - Arsenal defender ready to step onto the international stage

Posted Saturday, February 05, 2011 by skysports.com

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny is delighted at being called up into the France squad for the first time.

The 25-year-old was signed by Arsene Wenger last summer from Lorient for a fee of around £8.5million, and has caught the eye of France coach Laurent Blanc.

For Koscielny, the call-up to the squad represents the zenith of his career to date, as he reflects that just three years ago, he was playing in Division 3 at Tours.

"It's a nice surprise," he told L'Equipe. "Franck Ribery and Mathieu Valbuena also played in Division 3, but I have been lucky that I met the right people."

Transition

The transition from Ligue 1 defender to a bona fide Premier League version has had its difficulties yet Koscielny feels he is adapting to the rigours of the English game.

"I've experienced difficult moments and each game is a fight," he added.

"But physically, I feel that I am getting better. I still have a lot of things to improve on, notably my positioning and concentration."

Impressed
Blanc is a keen watcher of the English Premier League having played for Manchester United during his career and has been impressed by Koscielny's displays this year.

"We have been monitoring him for a while," Blanc said. "I feel that he is constantly improving and growing in self-confidence.

"He has a lot of qualities in his passing, heading and is also intelligent.

"We've also discovered that he can score from free-kicks and he has deserved to be called up."