Leandro Trossard has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists in 71 appearances for Arsenal. He joined the Gunners in January 2023 after leaving Brighton. Since then, the Belgian striker, although not a starter, has always played a very important role in Mikel Arteta's plans.
Earlier this week, Al-Ittihad sent a loan offer for Trossard with an option to buy after the 2024-2025 season. Arsenal have so far rejected the offer, even though Trossard will turn 30 in December. Keeping a stable star is the right thing to do, but the Gunners need to think long-term to avoid wasting their talent.
Last season, Trossard only started 18/38 Premier League matches but he was Arsenal's second most substitute with 16 appearances, one less than Eddie Nketiah. Trossard scored 6/14 goals when he came on as a substitute. In the second round of the Premier League, after scoring against Aston Villa, Trossard said: "Everyone wants to start".
This forced Arteta to consider. When asked about Trossard's statement, Arteta said that although the Belgian striker was quite sad about not being in the starting lineup, he was extremely professional in his attitude. The Spanish strategist added that Trossard's coming on the field and scoring in such a way was an example of professionalism for other players to learn from.
With Declan Rice sent off in the draw with Brighton, and Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Merino still injured, bringing Leandro Trossard into the starting line-up is something Mikel Arteta should consider. Clubs are on a two-week break for FIFA Days and if he does, Arteta will have time to prepare.
Currently, the Gunners' center forward position is largely given to Kai Havertz. The German striker has scored 2 goals since the beginning of the tournament. Last season, 8/13 of Havertz's goals came from playing center forward. However, in the 2 matches where Havertz moved back to play attacking midfield and Trossard started last season, The Gunners won very well. Those were the scores of 6-0 against West Ham and 5-0 against Burnley.
Instead of using Havertz as a left winger, Arteta paired Havertz and Trossard together to form an effective attacking duo. With Gabriel Martinelli and new signing Raheem Sterling both able to play wide, recreating the Trossard - Havertz pairing to take turns rushing into the opponent's penalty area to score is not impossible.
If they are to keep Trossard, Arsenal need to show an open mind about how to increase the Belgian's influence. With Jesus still injured and not sure if he will play well when he returns, rotating Havertz and Trossard is the best way for Arteta to maintain variation in the attack.
Trossard will leave Arsenal one day, but it may not be now. On the contrary, the club also needs to calculate a reasonable strategy so that when that happens, both sides benefit if they no longer continue to be associated with each other.
