Francis Coquelin admits he was in 'comfort zone' at Arsenal before Valencia move

Valencia midfielder Francis Coquelin has admitted that he found himself in “a comfort zone” at Arsenal.

The French midfielder completed a £12million move to the Spanish giants in January after struggling to win himself a regular starting spot in the Arsenal side.

Coquelin had particularly struggled during the absence of Santi Cazorla, with whom he formed an exceptional partnership before the Spaniard was struck down with an Achilles injury that has required nine separate operations and has sidelined him for 18 months.

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It was not only Cazorla’s absence that prompted Coquelin’s struggles as the 26-year-old admitted that a decade in London had led to him getting stale.

“It isn’t that easy when you’ve spent 10 years somewhere, but I needed a new challenge,” Coquelin told Clicanoo.

“You tend to get into a comfort zone when you stay several years in the same clubs.

“You try and challenge yourself, but it’s a bit harder. Here, I’m starting from scratch. It’s a new experience, a new training method, new teammates and a new environment.

“All that means I

was thrilled by the project. There are interesting goals to accomplish. I’m focused on that.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had long been supportive of Coquelin, labelling the midfielder “an example for everybody” a few weeks before the transfer.

“He’s someone I have a lot of respect for,” Coquelin said of his former manager. “If I’m here in my career, it’s because of him. We left on good terms.”

Coquelin has already achieved something at Valencia he never managed with Arsenal, scoring his first goal for his new club in a 2-1 win at Malaga last week.