Valencia ‘confirmed’ the arrival of Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin in a tweet earlier today.
— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en) January 10, 2018
The Spanish club agreed personal terms with Coquelin yesterday and moved onto agree on a £10.5m fee with Arsenal.
West Ham United were interested in taking the 26-year-old across London but the prospect of challenging for Champions League football enticed him to La Liga. Los Che currently sit third, five points ahead of fourth-placed Real Madrid and eight clear of Sevilla in fifth.
It’s their best season for a number of years with their meeting in the Costa del Azahar city at the end of this month. Coquelin may play a role in sinking next season’s ambitions of Europe’s biggest club.
Coquelin was omitted from Sunday’s 4 – 2 defeat in the FA Cup third round at Nottingham Forest to ensure it didn’t put a stumbling block in the way of his move to West Ham. However, Valencia moved quickly to take the combative midfielder to the Mestalla.
A new contract signed last year means Arsenal collect a sizeable fee. The deal took his salary to £55,000 per week and tied him down to the Emirates until 2021. Valencia’s fee reflects that initiative from the north London club.
