Tony Adams signs for an auto­graph-hunter at World Refugee Day charity game

Published: 27 June, 2013
by STEVE BARNETT

LAURENT Koscielny has won praise from an admirer who certainly knows a thing or two about the art of defending.

Speaking at a charity game in support of World Refugee Day on Sunday former captain Tony Adams compared Koscielny with “one of best” centre backs the club has ever had.

“Koscielny was brilliant at the end of last season,” Adams said.

“He reminds me a lot of Martin Keown. He’s very tenacious. I hate labelling people because Keown was one of the best we’ve ever had. But there are similarities there… the way Koscielny marks and his last-ditch tackles.

“He’s tenacious in the tackle. When it came to that tight, one-to-one defending, there wasn’t a better player that I’ve played with than Keown.

“To put Koscielny in the same category is an enormous compliment I think.”

Koscielny, 27, impressed alongside Per Mertesacker at the heart of the Arsenal defence over a 10-match unbeaten run in the Premier League which saw them overhaul rivals Tottenham to snatch fourth place and secure another shot at the Champions League.

His solid defensive displays have seen the France international linked with a summer move away from the Emirates Stadium, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich touted as possible destinations.

Fans will be keen to see Koscielny continue his ever-improving relationship with Mertesacker, who Adams also praised after watching him play a vital role in Arsenal’s strong end-of-season finish.

“I think he’s a really nice boy and, in a few games at the end of the season, he started to push people around and say ‘come on’!

“I think he came out of himself a bit more. He’s a fantastic player.

“I thought Arsenal were first class defensively. But you defend as a team. That’s what the philosophy of Arsenal always has been – attack as a team and defend as a team.”