Arsenal's captain curse: how Laurent Koscielny exacerbates an already-embarrassing problem

Laurent Koscielny Arsenal captain

Arsenal's pre-season troubles continued to escalate with the news that Laurent Koscielny, club captain - the main one, not among the team of five or whatever mad thing Unai Emery has in place - has refused to travel on their pre-season tour to the USA. 

On the surface, this is surprising. Koscielny is a model pro; a rare beacon of calm in Arsenal's otherwise-alarming backline. He's been there nine years. The fans love him. Of all the defensive problems Arsenal thought they'd have to solve this summer, this feels like it's come out of left-field a bit. 

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