Why Leandro Trossard’s departure marks start of Arsenal’s statement summer | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta was adamant the club should keep Leandro Trossard last season, but now Arsenal’s priorities have changed and their recent silverware warrants splashing the cash on younger forwards to stabilise their spot at the summit.

Leandro Trossard has left Premier League champions Arsenal after spending three-and-a-half years in North London. The 31-year-old is joining Turkish giants Besiktas for an agreed £17 million fee.

With only one year until his contract expired, Arsenal’s decision to cash in now has justification behind it, and Trossard can leave for pastures new knowing his role in the club’s title-winning campaign was substantial. Arsenal’s sale ensures they recoup just shy of all the funds from their £21 million purchase from Brighton for Trossard in January 2023.

Is now the right time to offload the Belgian, and how should Arsenal go about filling the void?

Representing Belgium at the World Cup across the Atlantic, he netted twice in the 5-1 group stage victory over New Zealand. He delivered the cross for Youri Tielemans to rise highest and score his side’s late equaliser against Senegal in the round of 32, and registered another assist against co-hosts USA, before former colleague Mikel Merino ensured Spain overcame Belgium in the quarter-finals.

Of all the players in the World Cup group stages, Trossard topped the charts for the most chances created, epitomising how he pulled the strings and sparked the creative impetus for the Red Devils. For his club, Trossard amassed 50 appearances last term in a Gunners shirt across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists, including two standout contributions at the business end of the season.

As the trepidation of Manchester City knocking them off their perch grew, Trossard sparked euphoria with his winning goal at West Ham United in the 83rd minute. Even though Arsenal agonisingly fell to defeat on penalties against PSG in the Champions League final to miss out on the double, Trossard provided the assist for Kai Havertz’s opener. These moments will spring to mind when fans recall Trossard’s spell, but he brought so much more to Arsenal during his three-and-a-half-year stay.

His most successful season in terms of attacking output came in his first full campaign, when he recorded 17 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions. Throughout his time in North London, Arteta recognised Trossard’s impact from the bench, as underlined by when he became the first player to ever score his first three goals for the club as a substitute.

His knack for finding goalscoring opportunities by cropping up in various positions made him a valuable asset that Arteta grew a soft spot for, understandably approving Trossard’s versatility and clinical edge in key moments. Arteta’s wingers are conditioned to track back and support their full-backs, which was a demand imposed to keep their defensive fortitude intact, and Trossard’s dedication out of possession represents this principle.

Trossard may not be the type of explosive winger that breezes past and bewitches defenders, yet he still manages to pose a real threat with how he manipulates the ball and his understanding of space. If the appropriate steps are not taken to fill the void, Trossard’s absence will be noticed. Arsenal are an attractive destination for ready-made talent to deliver further success now, and Arteta’s project is crying out for its finishing touches out wide, even if the attributes of prospective incomings deviate from those Trossard exhibited.

Arsenal plan to proceed without Trossard

Following a swashbuckling display to dispatch local rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at the Emirates in November 2025, Mikel Arteta reaffirmed his desire to keep Trossard on the books last summer. “Yeah, for me, no (he wasn’t for sale in the summer), because for me, it was forbidden for him to leave. No chance. I know the player that he is and surrounded by the players that we have, he’s a player that is going to make a difference for us.”

An upgrade to the left-wing position has been an inviting investment for Arsenal chiefs for some time, with concerns over entrusting Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard to brush off the bridesmaids tag arising among some supporters. Both became instrumental, and the newly-appointed Sporting Director, Andrea Berta, spread the expenditure to swell other areas of the squad instead, ahead of last season. The signings of Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke, who was seen as Bukayo Saka’s deputy on the right flank, paid dividends as Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 23 years.

Links with Real Madrid winger Rodrygo swirled, but Arsenal negotiated new terms with Trossard, handing the Belgian a significant pay rise, despite the lack of a contract extension beyond the summer of 2027. Other names have now entered the frame to replace the outgoing Trossard, aside from Rodyrgo, who missed out entirely on featuring at the World Cup for Brazil after suffering an ACL injury in March. PSG’s Bradley Barcola is held in high regard and tops the list for Arsenal targets this summer, offering an electric burst of pace and flair down the left flank if the French giants are willing to entertain bids. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is also among the options Arsenal are keen to pursue, while each player will likely command an outlay in excess of £100 million.

In their hopes of escaping their league title drought, this piece of recruitment from Besiktas is a shrewd choice for a player arguably still capable of impressing in the Champions League and in a more competitive European league. For Arsenal, Trossard’s exit marks the beginning of their responsibility to secure more dynamic and younger forwards to ensure the club can build a fruitful attacking style and continue fighting for the biggest prizes.