Olivier Giroud has had his say on the shocking situation at his former club Arsenal.
Last week Thursday brought about some surprising news involving captain Laurent Koscielny as his future at the club was placed into serious doubt after refusing to travel with the squad for their pre-season tour to the United States.
The north London outfit were deeply disappointed by the Frenchman's actions.
In a statement the club said: "Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for our pre-season tour. We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.
"We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time."
The 33-year-old, who is understood to want a return to France, has come in for criticism from supporters as well as ex-players, with some demanding he be stripped of the captaincy.
However, one former teammate of Koscielny is reserving judgement for now and insists the defender is "hurt" by the situation.
"You cannot make a judgement when you don't have all the clues, said Giroud in an exclusive interview with the BBC . "I'm pretty sure we don't know everything in this situation."
"Lolo is a good friend of mine. I've known him now for 10, 11 years. We played together in the second division [in France, at Tours].
"He's been playing for Arsenal for nine years; he's been the skipper for so many years - very respectful, very professional, always the best example for the young players.
"The club gave him the opportunity to play at Arsenal, and it was a big, big opportunity for him to show his quality in the Premier League. I think he has always been grateful about that and respectful to the club.
"I don't understand how we have got to this situation.
"I feel very sad for him because he's a great person and the media wants to give a bad image of him.
"I'm not at the club, I don't know what really happened - but one thing for sure is Lolo is very hurt by what's happening and he's an emotional person."
