Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny says he owes his career to Arsene Wenger.

Speaking to L'Equipe in his homeland, the centre-back has opened up on Wenger's decision to take him to Arsenal in 2010.

"If I'm with the France team, with Arsenal, it's because of him," Koscielny said.

"He's the one who brought me here. He's the one who had the balls to buy me from Lorient when I was a nobody.

"It was my first year in Ligue 1, at a mid-table club. It was a gamble for a club like Arsenal, one of the top 10 in Europe.

"He took a risk to bring me here, to help me grow as a player and as a man. I'll be in his debt for all my career."