Arsenal will sell Leandro Trossard to Besiktas, reports The Athletic. The Turkish side will pay £17.1M for the move, which is not expected to be finalized until after the World Cup. The club and player are still sorting out wages and personal terms. The 31-year old Belgian attacker had one year remaining on his contract with Arsenal, which was restructured at the start of last season to increase his wages but didn’t extend the term.
The club bought Leandro Trossard in January 2023 from Brighton &
Hove Albion for £27M when his relationship with then manager Roberto De Zerbi deteriorated. It turned out to be one of the best pieces of business the club have done under Mikel Arteta (and we didn’t end up with Mykhailo Mudryk, who is currently appealing a four-year ban for testing positive for a banned substance). Trossard scored 36 goals and added 34 assists in all competitions, including 8 and 11 this season. His 83rd-minute winner on May 10th at West Ham to keep Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City was a key, perhaps defining, moment in the title race.
At times, Trossard was a frustrating player. He had a couple of runs of notably poor form (that may have coincided with battling injury, to be fair) but you can’t really argue with his results. His goal contribution numbers speak for themself, and he had a knack for being involved in the moments when the team really needed a spark. His ability to play different roles across the attacking line, including as a false 9, was important to an oft-injury-stricken roster.
I’ll admit that I was a little concerned when he joined the club about potential attitude issues. How could you not be when a player leaves his previous club because of a falling out with the manager? As it turns out, Roberto De Zerbi is a…difficult person, and those concerns were mostly misplaced. There were a couple times where there were rumblings about Leo being unhappy with his role and minutes, but he and Mikel Arteta made it work. It helps that the issues came from a place of competitiveness and desire rather than prima donna delusions of grandeur. Trossard is a fierce competitor — a trait that manifested in a bit of a snarly, nasty streak that would bubble up from time to time when someone got in his face. Even though it sometimes had me worried he’d lose his temper and do something rash, he kept his head. It was good to see a bit of toughness and bite. That sort of thing can galvanize teammates.
Getting £17M for a 31-year old on the last year of his contract feels like pretty good business from Arsenal. As much as we love Leandro Trossard (although none of us more than Anne Hathaway does), it’s time to move on. The roster needs an injection of attacking dynamism that bringing back a guy to go deeper into his 30s would not provide. Will the club make it a complete left-side overhaul and move Gabriel Martinelli, too?
Either way, Leandro Trossard departs the club with his Arsenal legacy cemented: a beloved, big-moment player with an iconic celebration. AND A PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPION!
