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Francis Coquelin opens up on rise at Arsenal
FRANCIS COQUELIN believes his loan spell at Freiburg was the turning point in his rise to the Arsenal first-team.
Francis Coquelin credits loan spells for rise at Arsenal
The period in Germany helped me a lot, it was a tough, tough experience
The 23-year-old has become a key man in Arsene Wenger's midfield following successful loan spells at Lorient, Freiburg and Charlton.
The former France Under-21 midfielder recently signed a new deal at the Emirates after an impressive fun of form, keeping him at the club until 2019.
“[Going out on loan] has been really important for me,” Coquelin said. “I have been out a few times in France, in Germany and in England.
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“The period in Germany helped me a lot, it was a tough, tough experience mentally and that was a turning point in my career. I’m happy I went there and learned a lot.
“It has been a few exciting months for me [recently]. I have come back from Charlton, gone into the team as a sub and now I’m in the starting XI, so I am really pleased with things at the minute.
“[January] was a big part of my career. It was the first time I played so many games in a row so I could show game by game what I could do. It was a big month for me with the wins we got and everything was positive.”
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