Former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has revealed his decision to leave the club was not quite as abrupt as it appeared from the outside.
Koscielny brought an end to his nine-year spell at the Emirates this summer as he returned home to France to join Bordeaux.
His departure caused plenty of outrage among the Gunners faithful, who felt Koscielny had left the club in the lurch with such a late move away.
The nature of his exit was questioned by some, with former players such as Ian Wright claiming Koscienly had disrespected the club, a feeling only added to when he appeared in a slightly controversial unveiling video for new club, Bordeaux.
It seems the decision to move on was not quite the snap one it appeared to be, though, with Koscielny saying he had been thinking about it for the best part of a year.
“I was with Arsenal for nine years,” he told L’Equipe.
“I’ve seen a lot of people. I have also lost a lot of friends because they have changed clubs. Either I finished my career there, or I went back to France.
“With my family, we felt that it was time (to leave). Everything was in the back of my mind: the athlete, my physical state, my wife, my children, the day-to-day life we may have.
“After my injury (an Achilles tendon rupture in May 2018), I was already thinking (of leaving).
“It continued to mature as the season went on. The last two or three months we were really asking the question.”
