Francis Coquelin reveals how Santi Cazorla helped him leave Arsenal
Francis Coquelin has revealed that Santi Cazorla played a role in his decision to leave Arsenal for Valencia.
The Spanish club completed a £12 million deal earlier this week and the midfielder made his debut in the 2-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
‘First and foremost, I had great feedback from Santi Cazorla on the coach, Marcelino,’ Coquelin told L’Equipe.
‘After training, the coach told me about his great ambitions, to build a great European team.
‘And he also told me about the family-like atmosphere at the club. I am arriving with no particular status.
‘I know Geoffrey Kondogbia and Dani Parejo are two high level players there. It is up to me to get to that level.’
Coquelin also revealed that he had lengthy talks with Wenger before deciding to leave Arsenal midway through the season.
‘We had a very healthy discussion together,’ said the midfielder.
‘He is someone who I respect immensely. I told him what I thought, he told me what he thought, and he understood.
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‘The only thing was that I didn’t want to go on loan. I really wanted to start something new. This was perfect.
‘I spent amazing years at Arsenal. It’s the club that gave me my chance, I will never forget that. It is difficult to leave.
‘Yes, I was playing matches, but not necessarily the most important ones, I still need to grow.‘
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