It was always going to be the way. Arsenal are the Premier League champions now and the team has to change. It’s time for Mikel Arteta to move on to key personnel.
The first casualty in the new Gunners squad is expected to be Leandro Trossard.
The Belgian was the best player to come out of Brighton and with his nation’s exit from the World Cup confirmed, he is ready to sign for Besiktas.
Trossard flies to Turkey this week for a medical and will officially sign on the dotted line after both clubs agreed a fee of £17m.
Trossard’s legacy at Arsenal
The date is 10 May 2026. Arsenal are struggling to find a way through a West Ham side who are fighting for their lives to stay in the Premier League.
At the same time, Mikel Arteta’s men were fighting for the title but their chances of lifting the trophy were falling by the wayside as they failed to find a way past the Irons.
That was, however, until the man Trossard turned up as he often did in Arsenal colours. Martin Odegaard did well inside the Hammers penalty area before putting the ball on the plate for Belgium to drive home.
That would go down as his last goal for the Gunners and symbolized the defender’s time at the Emirates Stadium. It was the winning goal, a precious goal that finally secured his team the title.
Trossard has always been there i go to man since he signed for Brighton. Replacing him will be difficult.
After all, the striker’s legacy in north London will be a rich one. He will forever be remembered in these parts as one of the most influential players in the club’s history.
Time after time it was Trossard who showed up when his teammates and supporters needed him most. Since joining Arsenal in January 2023, only two players – Gabriel (82%) and Mikel Merino (91%) – have contributed to a higher percentage of game-changing goals than the dwindling Belgian.
|
Arsenal’s game-changing goals from Jan 2023 (PL only) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The player |
Total goals |
Game-changing goals |
|
1. Merino |
11 |
10 |
|
2. Gabriel |
11 |
9 |
|
3. Trossard |
27 |
17 |
|
4. Jesus |
16 |
9 |
|
5. Odegaard |
19 |
10 |
He will leave London with 36 goals and 34 assists to his name in 174 games. 27 of those goals came in the Premier League. 17 of the league’s strikes (63%) were openers, equalisers, or winners.
How Arsenal can replace Trossard
Arsenal must sign a replacement this summer and Andrea Berta and Co are expected to sign two new players.
Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis looks set for a switch while Morgan Rogers and Bradley Barcola are big names and big money signings to keep fans happy.
However, there is probably already an internal solution waiting. Eberechi Eze is the man, but listen, we know what you will be thinking here.
Signed from Crystal Palace last year, it can be said that the England international did not have a good life in his early years with Arsenal.
Eze scored ten goals in the last quarter, five of which came in two games against Tottenham. Those were the iconic moments but other than that, there wasn’t much to shout about.
The striker struggled on the flanks, scoring once and providing one assist in 11 games at left tackle. During the match against Aston Villa, he started the game on the left, he was stopped at half-time after failing to follow Matty Cash during the preparation for the first game.
After that he did not start another game for two months. He was accused by Arsenal writer Connor Humm of walking around “as if [Mesut] Ozil.” It all looked so relaxed, so absurd.
However, Eze is now faster in an Arsenal shirt. He looked very comfortable with the system at the end of the season, scoring a peach against Newcastle that helped them win the title.
He also has the qualities to put a star on the left. He is a similar profile to Rogers. In his final season with Palace, Eze ranked in the top 13% of players in the Premier League with a dribble efficiency of 2.32 per 90 minutes. He’s a ball-handler and like Trossard, he’s good in tight spaces.
With a similar player in Rogers likely set to play on the left, it’s worth trying Eze in that position during pre-season.
He has Trossard’s dribbling skills, is incredibly smart and a huge threat to any full-back. This player scored 14 goals and assisted 11 during his last campaign at Selhurst Park.
If Arteta can find a way to give him more freedom, he could be a suitable replacement for their Belgian star.
