Leandro Trossard was Arsenal‘s “Plan B” when he arrived at the Emirates in a transfer worth up to £27 million from Brighton & Hove Albion in January. But the winger might just prove to be the most significant Premier League signing of the season and the one who delivers the key ingredient to winning the title.
Of course, if Manchester City overhaul the Gunners to claim a third successive title during the final two months of the campaign, Erling Haaland‘s incredible goal tally — already at 42 in 37 games in all competitions — will ensure that the Norway forward will be regarded as the most impactful transfer. But Trossard’s performances for Arsenal since signing for Mikel Arteta’s team have been so significant and decisive that the 28-year-old may turn out to be the man who seals their first Premier League title since 2004.
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The irony of Trossard’s contribution is that but for Chelsea‘s readiness to outbid their London rivals for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk in January, he would likely still be at Brighton, with Mudryk playing in Arsenal red rather than Chelsea blue. Arsenal had made all the running on Mudryk, scouting the 22-year-old Ukraine international for months and registering their interest with Shakhtar so early that it seemed a deal would be done in the opening days of the January window. The player showed he was keen to push the transfer himself with a series of social media posts highlighting his affection for the club. But despite making three bids for Mudryk, Arsenal missed out on their top target because Chelsea simply offered to meet Shakhtar’s €100m valuation and the player headed for Stamford Bridge instead.
Chelsea’s gain has not turned out to be Arsenal’s loss, however, because Trossard has exceeded expectations at the Emirates and also vastly outperformed Mudryk, who has endured a difficult start to his career at Chelsea. After just 11 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, Trossard has registered seven assists. Only Bukayo Saka has more for Arteta’s side this season, and he has managed his 10 assists in 29 games. Midfielder Martin Odegaard has seven, just like Trossard, but the Gunners’ captain has taken 28 games to reach that number. To put Trossard’s contribution into a wider context, Kevin De Bruyne leads this season’s Premier League assists table with 13 and the Manchester City midfielder has played 29 games.
Trossard, a dominant force down the Arsenal left flank, has also created 15 chances in his brief time at Arsenal. His value to Arteta is that the manager knows he has a player who will make at least one chance a game and that it will be a good chance, judging by the fact that almost half of them lead to goals. By comparison, Mudryk has contributed next to nothing at Chelsea. He has managed just one assist in eight appearances and created only three chances for his teammates, and the 22-year-old is still waiting to score his first goal. Trossard, meanwhile, opened his account in a 1-1 draw against Brentford in February, and the Belgium international has put in a several shifts as a makeshift centre-forward.
