When Laurent Koscielny left FC Lorient for Arsenal in 2010, it began a chain of events that revealed the business plan that the Brittany club would follow right up to the present day.

Five years ago, Lamine Kone was signed from US Chateauroux to replace the France international and now, according to reports on the BBC, the 26-year-old is set to follow in Koscielny’s footsteps and sign for Sunderland in the Premier League.

The Parisian born defender got his break for les Merlus covering the injuries to Gregory Bourillon and when club captain Bruno Ecuele-Manga – another who moved to Britain – left to represent his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Five years on and the centre-back has played over 124 games in six seasons and transformed himself into a rock at the heart of the Lorient defence.

When playing beside Ecuele-Manga, Kone was the more mobile of the two, sometimes asked to cover at full-back, but it was clear his place was in the middle.

Impressive in the air, but quick enough to cover the faster strikers in the league, the former France under-20 international was indeed an adequate replacement for Arsenal’s £10 million signing.

Now, it looks like Kone will be the next name to leave Lorient, undoubtedly for a profit on the £700,000 they paid the Ligue 2 side in 2010.

This week, Lorient vice-president Alex Hayes said: “We have received an offer that we have accepted. It is now up to Lamine to find an agreement with Sunderland and to pass the medical before the transfer can be made official.”

It is believed that the defender flew to England on Tuesday to open talks with the North-East club.

Second bottom of the Premier League, it is no surprise that Kone has attracted interest from Sam Allardyce and his staff. The Ivory Coast international has been a commanding presence in the Lorient defence, and there is no reason he couldn’t immediately contribute to the Black Cats’ struggle for survival.

Kone is not one to rush into tackles, preferring to stay on his feet and use his ability to read the game to cover any danger. He has only picked up two yellow cards so far this season in Ligue 1, averaging less than one foul per game according to WhoScored.

He also makes more clearances than anyone else in the current Lorient team, averaging 6 per game compared to the 4.5 of defensive partner Zargo Toure.

In fact, only two centre-backs in Ligue 1 average more clearances per game than Kone. Lorient are not cannon-fodder at the bottom end of the table, they try to play football the right way, so the numbers definitely highlight Kone’s strength and ability to anticipate and clear any danger on a consistent basis.

Although it’s not a stand out part of his game, Kone is also adept with the ball at his feet. He has the vision and ability to pick a pass, but tries to keep things simple – what you need when you have someone like Yann M’Vila pulling the strings in front of you.

Kone is far from a world-beater, but there is enough quality there to make an impact at a struggling club. He has been through the wars with Lorient in the past, and under the guidance of both Christian Gourcuff and Sylvain Ripoll he has been well drilled in the organisation needed at that level.

Lorient will miss Kone’s presence throughout the spine of the team, but knowing Loic Fery and how the club’s president works, it won’t be long till a replacement is found – then give it two years till he’s linked with a move too.