Mikel Arteta now reveals ‘main reasons’ Arsenal signed ‘tremendous’ £27m star

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Mikel Arteta has now opened up about the reason Arsenal signed Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal paid £27 million to prise versatile attacker Leandro Trossard away from Brighton and Hove Albion in the last January transfer window.

In that window, Trossard had not been Arsenal’s primary target. The Gunners had spent the winter chasing a deal for Mykhailo Mudryk, then of Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian winger looked to be on the verge of making a big money move to the Emirates Stadium, before Chelsea hijacked the deal and snapped up his services for themselves. 

With limited time remaining before the transfer deadline passed, Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu turned their attention towards sealing a deal for Trossard. 

Whilst Mudryk has since struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, Trossard has been able to have a huge impact at the north London club.

Despite remaining behind Gabriel Martinelli in the pecking order when it comes to the left wing position, where Trossard is said to be at his best, the Belgian has been able to impress across a variety of roles.

In terms of end product, he hit the ground running at Arsenal. The 28-year-old has already racked up seven goals and twelve assists for the club, across all competitions, in just 37 outings so far.

This season he has shown that he can effectively play as a striker in Arteta’s system, has been used on the left-flank in rotation with Martinelli, and took up a midfield role against Brentford last time out.

Leandro Trossard rises to Arsenal expectations

Trossard, despite having come in as a second choice target, has proven himself to be a sensational signing for Arsenal.

Arteta has now made it clear that he is delighted to have the 28-cap Belgium international at the club, and that he has lived up to the expectations he had of the player.

As quoted by football.london, the Spanish coach recently said of Trossard, “he is a tremendous player who has great talent and great intelligence to play the way we want to play. He is a really good fit for us.”

Referencing the player’s versatility, Arteta stated, “that was one of the main reasons why we signed him. First of all he has experience of the league and did what he had done in the league already. In January we had a lot of issues in the front line and he could cover those necessities in a really efficient way. He has proven he can do that.”

Trossard will have a crucial part to play for Arsenal this season. His presence in the squad is vital for easing the burden on the likes of Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka.

His experience is also a useful asset. Despite being in the prime years of his career, he is one of the senior figures in the Arsenal dressing room. Arteta will be looking to Trossard to set an example for many of the younger players in the group to follow.