Arsenal have been warned that impactful fringe player Leandro Trossard may still have a ‘dream of moving on’ after reaching a ‘crossroads’ in his career.
In terms of his impact compared to the amount of starts he gets, Trossard is one of the most efficient attackers in the Arsenal squad. However, he has sometimes struggled to match the impact he has off the bench when being given the chance to start.
Trossard’s plight is plain to see this weekend. After starting and scoring against Leicester City in the Premier League last weekend, and then starting and assisting against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek, Mikel Arteta put the Belgian back on the bench for their clash with Southampton on Saturday.
And former Belgium international Thomas Chatelle has summarised why Trossard is actually at a ‘crossroads’ and could have ambitions to depart for a club where he can play more regularly.
“In practice, our national team is not Arsenal,” he told DH Net. “The individuals surrounding Trossard in London do not have the same profile and especially the game developed by Mikel Arteta has nothing to do with that advocated by [Domenico] Tedesco.
“It should also be noted that Trossard might not even have played on Tuesday if the captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard had not been injured.
“Because the Limburger, despite his many decisive actions and his flashes of brilliance, still has not managed to establish himself definitively as a starter for these Gunners.
“A luxury joker for the convinced, a stopgap for the moderate and even a stopgap for his detractors, Trossard is at a crossroads in his magnificent career. At 29, he can still dream of moving on…”
Trossard still expected to stay at Arsenal
Arsenal kept Trossard this summer despite a late attempt from the Saudi Pro League to prise him away. Arteta has since been tipped to push for the winger to receive a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium.
Of course, Trossard will have to think carefully before penning any new deal, and he would have the right to reject such an offer.
It isn’t unknown for him to down tools when he wants out of a club, as was the case when he effectively forced his exit from Brighton in order to join Arsenal.
But so far, he has indicated his happiness at remaining an Arsenal player, even though he may not be a guaranteed starter.
He told club media back in August: “I know the competition in the team and it pushes everyone to go onto the next level and as I said before, I’m very happy to have an impact and help the team.”
Who could leave Arsenal in 2025?
A side effect of Arsenal’s growth in terms of the quality in their squad over the past few years is that certain players who can still be classed as good might find themselves unsettled after being overtaken in the pecking order by even better players.
Trossard is not the only example. There have also been rumours that former starting midfielder Thomas Partey could return to LaLiga after his previous spell with Atletico Madrid. After all, the 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season anyway.
And on a lesser scale, Jakub Kiwior – who joined Arsenal in the same transfer window as Trossard back in January 2023 – may have to look elsewhere if he wants to play regularly, having recently been named alongside full-back Kieran Tierney as a player who has the green light to leave.
What would Arsenal lose by selling Trossard?
Trossard remains under contract with Arsenal until the end of next season, so is someone whose future they will have to address over the next 12 months, one way or another.
One of his major benefits is his versatility. So far in his Arsenal career, he has been deployed mainly as a left winger, but also on occasion as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder, second striker, right winger or even a left-back.
He is undoubtedly most effective on the left wing, but his technical ability has allowed him to contribute 20 goals and 13 assists from 76 appearances across the variety of roles he has performed in.
His movement on and off the ball has also earned Arteta’s admiration, while he is a hard worker and good crosser.
There is obviously plenty of quality throughout the Arsenal squad, but Trossard’s traits make him a particularly useful asset.
