Trossard should prove a shrewd addition to the Arsenal frontline
Midfield may be a key area in need of investment for Arsenal at some point this year, but when a player of Leandro Trossard's calibre comes on the market, you make your move. While some may have believed Brighton needed to sell this month to bring in a fee for the Belgian rather than lose him on a free in the summer, the Seagulls extended his deal by a further year to protect his value.
Nevertheless, once it became clear he wasn't part of Roberto De Zerbi's plans on the south coast, the logical decision was to cash in on Trossard, even if that means selling to a Premier League rival. Now, Arsenal are well stocked in attack, even before their move for Trossard, but it's been clear that Mikel Arteta had wanted to bring in another forward this month.
The Gunners were linked with moves for Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk, only for the duo to join London rivals Chelsea, the former on a short-term loan deal. What stands Trossard in better stead, though, is that he brings with him a wealth of Premier League experience that'll only serve to benefit Arsenal in the second half of the season.
In addition, Trossard has a knack for scoring against the Premier League's heavy hitters. The Belgian may have hit the back of the net just 25 times following his 2019 arrival from Genk, yet Liverpool are his favourite opponents in England's top tier, putting five goals past the Reds in his Premier League career, three of which came at Anfield. With a further eight scored against Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and new employers Arsenal, 52% of his total Premier League goals have come against the recognised Big Six. As is obvious, Trossard rises to the occasion.
Yet while some rival fans may use a lowly goal return as a stick with which to beat him, there is plenty more to Trossard's game than meets the eye. Arsenal rank fourth for possession won the attacking third (103) in the Premier League this season, with the Gunners working hard off the ball to win possession high up the pitch to force opponents into mistakes and create chances.
Only Kevin De Bruyne (24) has won possession in the attacking third more times than Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard (21) in England's top tier this term, a return level with Leeds' winger Jack Harrison. Trossard ranks fourth (20) in this particular metric. In addition to his hard work off the ball, there is the versatility that means he can provide cover across both flanks and through the middle if needed.
Trossard is unlikely to break into the Arsenal first team ahead of Gabriel Martinelli on the left or Bukayo Saka on the right unless one is absent or desperately out of form. The issue with the pair is the lack of experience needed to sustain a title push, particularly ahead of a testing run of games that sees Arsenal come up against both Manchester clubs between now and mid-February.
Manchester City also have the necessary experience to know when to win in a title push, as evidenced by Thursday's night's 4-2 win over Tottenham to close the gap at the top to five points, albeit having played a game more than Arsenal. In Trossard, though, Arteta will have a player that means the Gunners can play their regular game without a dip in work rate nor quality.
By comparison, Mudryk may have been the more exciting capture, but there is a risk they he won't adjust to the rigours of English football in the same vein as Arsenal's club-record capture Nicolas Pepe. At least with Trossard, there is an attacker who knows the English game, so while the resale value isn't there - the Belgium international is 28, and he's 28 until he becomes 29, that's how it works - by knowing the league, the January signing should, in theory, slot into this Arsenal system relatively seamlessly. You can't, after all, put a price on experience, a valuable commodity in the pursuit of silverware.
Ultimately, fans will hope the creative side to Trossard's game matches those at Arteta's disposal, especially as Arsenal rank third for key passes per game (11.7) in the Premier League this season, and while he does fall a little short in that regard, the difference is relatively negligible. Indeed, Trossard is chipping in with an average of 1.6 key passes per 90, which is slightly lower than Saka (2.3) and Martinelli (1.8), but in turn; level with Gabriel Jesus.
Having proven his quality for Brighton, he is a low-risk addition to the Arsenal squad. Trossard will bring the average age of the squad up - he'll be joining as the Gunners' fifth oldest player, and only two of those (Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka) are regular starters - yet in the second half of the campaign, the elder statesmen really come into their own, which has thus far allowed for the younger stars to flourish at the Emirates. Trossard will join the ranks of experienced stars in north London and with the Premier League title on the line, he could prove to be Arsenal's shrewdest signing yet.
