Laurent Koscielny has revealed he had thoughts of quitting Arsenal a year before he left.
The former Gunners captain ended his nine-year spell with the club by forcing through a £4.6million move to Bordeaux earlier this summer.
Koscielny refused to travel with the Arsenal squad for their pre-season tour of the US, before his bitter exit was confirmed in August.
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The 34-year-old Frenchman says he first thought about leaving after rupturing his Achilles tendon in May 2018.
“I was with Arsenal for nine years,” Koscielny told L’Equipe.
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“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, 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.”
David Luiz was brought in on transfer deadline day as a replacement for Koscielny.
The former Chelsea defender scored his first goal for the Gunners in a 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Sunday.