What Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta have said about new Leeds United target Francis Coquelin in the past

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Leeds United are looking to sign a free agent to ease their midfield woes and perhaps even provide depth at centre-back, and one option is former Arsenal star Francis Coquelin.

The Frenchman is currently without a club after leaving Spanish side Villarreal in the summer. He has spent the last seven years in La Liga with Villarreal and previously Valencia, alongside Rodrigo Moreno.

The 33-year-old is renowned for being a tough-tackling, hard-working midfielder and his experience in the Premier League might be something Daniel Farke is willing to consider as he eyes a new signing.

Indeed, Farke said he is confident of a free agent signing soon. He also spoke about a possible move for Cheikhou Kouyate, with Kouyate spotted training at Thorp Arch during the October international break.

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What Mikel Arteta said about Arsenal teammate Francis Coquelin

But Coquelin has now been invited to Thorp Arch to train with Leeds by manager Farke, as a move to sign Kouyate stalls. It is believed Kouyate has an injury that has scuppered a Leeds medical, preventing a deal.

After a series of loans, Coquelin broke into Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side in 2015 and stayed there until he left for Spain. Arteta was quoted by the IB Times in May 2015 as saying Coquelin is “very consistent”.

“He has been great, he is giving balance, he has competed as well as anybody else in the team. He is being very consistent. He will be here for a good few years. I always liked Francis and I like him a lot now.”

Mesut Ozil said he loved playing alongside Francis Coquelin

Ozil’s time at Arsenal petered out towards the end of his career but some of his best form in a Gunners shirt came alongside Coquelin, a player that could end up wearing the Leeds badge in the coming weeks.

Speaking back at the start of the 2015-16 season, Germany icon Ozil was quoted by Arsenal’s official website as heaping praise on Coquelin. He said that he and Santi Cazorla nicknamed Coquelin, “pitbull”.

“Santi is a very technically-gifted player, just as Francis is. We call Francis ‘the pitbull’ because he’s very aggressive and always gives 100 per cent. I’m pleased to be able to have those players behind me.”