Charlton Athletic played key role in Arsenal man winning FA Cup and Europa League - he admitted it himself | OneFootball

The 34-year-old has made it clear how important his spell at The Valley was for his career development.

Francis Coquelin has enjoyed a successful career that has seen him play at the highest level in England, Germany, Spain and France.

The 34-year-old has played for several clubs across Europe, including Arsenal, Valencia and Villarreal, featuring regularly in both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

However, Coquelin may not have achieved what he has in the game had it not been for a short loan spell at Charlton Athletic during the 2014/15 season.

The midfielder was 23 when he completed a temporary switch to The Valley in November 2014, having failed to make a league appearance under Arsène Wenger since returning from his loan spell in the Bundesliga with SC Freiburg the previous season.

Coquelin had already made 43 first-team appearances for the Gunners when he was sent on loan to Charlton, so it was clear that he had fallen significantly down the pecking order at the Emirates at the time of his departure.

Just over a month after he had been an unused substitute at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, Coquelin found himself making his Championship debut from the bench against Leeds United at Elland Road.

Charlton picked up one win, three draws and one defeat during Coquelin's five-game stint at the club, before he was recalled by Arsenal in December 2014 with Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere all sidelined by injuries.

Francis Coquelin put Arsenal success down to Charlton impact

Coquelin's Arsenal contract was due to expire at the end of the 2014/15 season, so he may well have feared that his career in North London was coming to an end when he was sent on loan to Charlton.

In fact, he later revealed that he was 'angry' when Arsenal recalled him from his loan spell at Charlton, as per Express.co.uk.

"Yes, I was angry," Coquelin said.

"I remember when I came back and I was on the bench for the first few games.

"So I didn't understand. I said, 'I was playing every game at Charlton, now I'm back here and I'm not playing'.

"And I remember he [Wenger] said to me, 'You'll see, your chance will come'."

Sure enough, Coquelin made 22 Premier League appearances for the Gunners during the remainder of the campaign, helping his side pick up 16 wins during that time, including impressive victories against Manchester City and Liverpool.

The Frenchman was rewarded with a new long-term contract in February 2015, and he put his remarkable turnaround down to the impact of his loan spell at The Valley, as per talkSPORT.

"Without Charlton, I probably wouldn't be here," Coquelin said.

"I wasn't performing that well but they gave me the chance to play and I wasn't out of fitness when I came back. I think that helped me a lot."

Who knows how Coquelin's career would have played out if he had been sitting on the Arsenal bench instead of gaining first-team experience and match fitness at Charlton in the lead up to the Gunners' midfield injury crisis in December 2014?

Francis Coquelin went on to enjoy an excellent career after Charlton spell

Coquelin marked the end of his remarkable 2014/15 season by lifting the FA Cup - the first of two that he won during his time at Arsenal - before also winning the Community Shield later that year.

He later won the Copa del Rey in Spain with Valencia, and also lifted the UEFA Europa League with Villarreal in 2021.

With 105 Premier League appearances, 136 La Liga appearances, 39 UEFA Champions League appearances and a few major honours to his name, all while still playing in Ligue 1 for FC Nantes during the 2025/26 season, it is fair to say Coquelin made the most of his career after being sent on loan to Charlton in November 2014.