30-6-10: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has landed French centre-back Laurent Koscielny as an £8.5million replacement for William Gallas. The Arsenal chief agreed the fee with French club Lorient after weeks of haggling and having two other bids knocked back. Koscielny, 24, will sign a four-year deal worth £25,000 a week and fill the gap left by Gallas, who quit the Emirates after failing to agree a new contract. A Lorient insider said: "The clubs have a deal in principle and an announcement should be made in the next few days." 7-7-10: Arsenal Football Club have announced the signing of defender Laurent Koscielny from French Ligue 1 side Lorient on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee, thought to be between £8.5m and £10m. The 24-year-old Koscielny, who is predominantly a central defender, made 40 appearances in all competitions during his season with Lorient in the 2009/2010 campaign. Before joining the north-west French club Lorient in 2009, Koscielny also played for En Avant Guingamp and Tours in France, where in 2009 he was voted Best Player in Ligue 2 for the 2008/2009 season by his fellow professionals - the UNFP (National Union of Professional Footballers in France). Although born in France, uncapped Koscielny, who helped Lorient to seventh place in the French league championship last season, would also qualify to represent the Poland national team as a result of his family roots. Manager Arsène Wenger said: "Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient. We identified him as a very strong centre half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he's a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad." New Arsenal player Koscielny said: "I'm very excited to be joining Arsenal. They are one of the biggest teams in Europe with many great players. I'm really looking forward to playing in the English Premier Le