It is a testament to the impact Leandro Trossard has had at Arsenal that the club have rejected a lucrative proposal from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad to sign the forward.
The Belgium international has scored 19 goals and assisted 12 in 71 appearances since signing from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2023, a contribution that makes him an important part of manager Mikel Arteta’s squad.
As a result, turning down Al Ittihad’s preliminary offer of a loan for the rest of this season, including a fee of €5million (£4.2m; $5.5m) with an obligation to buy next summer for a price between €20million and €25m, may have been easy for Arsenal.
For Trossard, however, there may have been mixed feelings.
The versatile forward will turn 30 in December, and while he is one of Arteta’s most reliable players, he has been far from a guaranteed starter for Arsenal up to now.
Last season, his only full campaign with the club, Trossard started only 18 of the 38 Premier League games, but was Arteta’s second most-used substitute behind striker Eddie Nketiah — the pair were brought on 16 and 17 times respectively.
And there has been value in using Trossard in that way: six of the 14 league goals he has scored for Arsenal have been off the bench, but as the winger said following his goal-scoring cameo against Aston Villa last month: “Everyone wants to start games.”
That comment came after his latest goal as a sub, and Arteta made sure to praise the way Trossard reacts when he is not in the starting line-up.
“Leo is upset but he channels that to show on the pitch how good he is,” the manager said. “Not upset and then coming in and (downing tools) because he wasn’t playing. That’s a huge quality. When you put him in the starting XI, he does exactly the same thing. That’s a big message, and a big example for the rest of the team and myself.”
Trossard himself added: “It’s up to the player how they respond. I always want to make an impact, if it’s off the bench or as a starter.”
He was then given the chance to start against his previous club on Saturday, but he was withdrawn in the 59th minute to make way for defender Riccardo Calafiori after Arsenal had midfielder Declan Rice sent off and Brighton then quickly equalised.
Trossard started against Brighton but was then substituted (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Now, with Rice’s subsequent suspension, the ongoing injury absences of Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Merino and three games in eight days for Arsenal when the club season resumes after the current two-week international break, the short-term question will likely be where Trossard plays for Arteta rather than when.
With the lack of availability among their midfielders, there could be a domino effect that results in Trossard being shifted into more of a centre-forward role; an option that is up for debate, but not without precedent.
Since the turn of the year, Arsenal have looked at their best with Kai Havertz up front. The German has scored twice when leading the line already this season, while eight of his 13 league goals last season came as a striker. But it was when he was in midfield, with Trossard also starting, that Arsenal had two of their highest-scoring results last season: a 6-0 away win against West Ham in February and the 5-0 victory at Burnley the following Saturday.
Those games came less than two weeks after Jesus suffered a knee injury away to Nottingham Forest, and they brought a different dynamic to the Havertz midfield experiment. Rather than have him trying to combine with the left-winger, he practically joined Trossard as a two-man strike partnership.
Trossard would often start by coming short for the ball with Havertz running in behind, which forced defenders into making uncomfortable decisions. Both movements earned Arsenal penalties in those two wins, with the Belgian dropping deep to find Bukayo Saka against West Ham:
And Havertz going in behind to find Trossard against Burnley:
Trossard scored in both those games. Havertz netted against Burnley.
With Gabriel Martinelli and new loan signing Raheem Sterling both able to play out wide, returning to that Trossard-Havertz dynamic could be the way around Rice’s suspension for the north London derby away against Tottenham later this month.
Trossard is in better form than Martinelli, but with Sterling and Jesus soon to enter the picture, it will be down to him to put in the performances that will persuade Arteta to give him more starts this season.
If that happens then Trossard, who signed a four-and-a-half-year contract on arrival from Brighton, will surely have no regrets about Arsenal declining that Saudi approach, or perhaps postponing it. However, if he finds himself slipping back into the role of a super-sub while attractive offers await from elsewhere, more long-term thinking will be needed by Arsenal regarding his role.
Arteta recently spoke about squad depth not being something that can “change dramatically in one or two seasons”, illustrated by the way Arsenal have built their defensive foundations since he was appointed in December 2019.
With that in mind, and the fact the Saudi transfer deadline was on Monday night, three days after the Premier League window closed, there was little logic in Arsenal entertaining Al Ittihad’s offer now, when they would have been unable to recruit a replacement of equal calibre.
But the question may soon become: when will it be logical? In upcoming windows, while tending to squad depth there now needs to be careful consideration of Trossard’s age and contribution, and also his contentment.
For now, however, Arsenal still have the man who has boosted their title chances in both of his seasons at the club, and Arteta’s immediate focus will be on getting the best out of him in the months ahead, rather than his future.
The best way to do that will be by ensuring that player and club continue their upward trajectories.
(Top photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside via Getty Images)
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