Mikel Arteta refused to let Leandro Trossard leave Arsenal last November, and Sunday’s winner at West Ham is precisely why.
After speculation around the Belgian’s future surfaced in the summer, Arteta revealed later he was always adamant on keeping the versatile forward.
“For me it was forbidden for him to leave,” the Arsenal manager said. “No chance. I know the player that he is, and surrounded with the players that we have, he’s a player that is going to make a difference for us.”
Fast forward six months, and Trossard has done exactly that, scoring the goal that could well hand Arsenal the Premier League title.
If Leandro Trossard isn’t Arsenal’s most clutch player, who is? 🤔
Leandro Trossard’s West Ham winner could be Arsenal’s most important goal
What makes the goal all the more remarkable is that before Sunday, Trossard hadn’t scored since the 4-1 win over Aston Villa back in December — making the West Ham winner his first of 2026.
Mikel Arteta himself had even acknowledged the dip in form after the game, but we’ve seen the Trossard we all know and love back in recent weeks.
It was his reintroduction into the side against Fulham which kickstarted his sharp upturn in form, where he provided the assist for Viktor Gyokeres’ second goal.
He then started the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, putting in an industrious shift as Arsenal reached the final.
And now this — a match winner at the London Stadium that puts the title firmly in Arsenal’s hands.
There were some raised eyebrows when it emerged that Trossard had signed a new contract earlier this season with no extension but increased wages.
But it’s clear now that the Belgian has been consistently undervalued.
Rio Ferdinand is among those who think Arsenal fans are guilty of that, arguing the West Ham winner was further proof of a player who never quite gets the credit he deserves.
Leandro Trossard has sealed his Arsenal cult-hero status
The numbers tell their own story. Across 172 appearances and counting for the Gunners, Leandro Trossard has yielded 36 goals and 33 assists.
That is a better rate than Arsenal legend and invincible Freddie Ljungberg.
Signed from Brighton for around £21m, you’ll have a hard time thinking of a greater January bargain in Arsenal’s Premier League history.
There are suggestions this summer could bring a parting of ways, with Arsenal understood to be keen on a new left winger and minutes set to become even more competitive.
But if the title is indeed won, Trossard’s place in the club’s history is secured, if not as a legend then as a cult hero, and Arteta’s insistence on keeping him last summer will have paid off astronomically.
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