Francis Coquelin has signed a new deal at Arsenal which will keep him at the club until 2019.

The combative French midfielder has made himself an indispensable part of Arsene Wenger’s team since his somewhat fortuitous recall from Charlton just before Christmas, and at his press conference today Wenger confirmed that the player had extended his contract.

A series of storming displays as the defensive midfield lynchpin convinced the Arsenal manager to offer him new terms.

It’s quite the turnaround for a player who looked to be surplus to requirements not so long ago, but who has now jumped above the more established Mathieu Flamini in the pecking order with skipper Mikel Arteta still sidelined with calf and ankle problems.

Anyway, it’s good news that we’ve kept hold of our Coq when others wanted to pull it off us. The filthy beggars.