Last month, Mikel Arteta said Leandro Trossard “deserves recognition” after he signed a new contract at Arsenal. The new deal will improve his salary but not the length of contract, with it expiring 2027.
The Belgium international has played 37 minutes so far this season and that came in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Leeds United.
Wednesday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg looks at his situation at Arsenal and also explains why the Gunners offered him an improved contract.
The north London club strengthened their attack by signing Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze in the summer window.
Arteta has Gyökeres as first-choice striker, with Kai Havertz as his cover, Bukayo Saka and Madueke on the right wing and Eze and Gabriel Martinelli for the left wing. Trossard can operate across the front three, but the competition at Arsenal is fierce.
HBVL report the 30-year-old changed agents and both him and Arsenal were open to parting ways in the summer. There were approaches from Galatasaray, Brentford and Aston Villa, but they weren’t able to make progress.
Therefore, Trossard agreed to signing a new contract. The newspaper reports Mikel Arteta had a role in the Premier League club improving his salary.
Towards the end of last summer, Arsenal rejected a bid from Al-Ittihad for the Belgian. He would have significantly improved his salary had he moved to Saudi Arabia.
HBVL say ‘Arteta denied him a lucrative contract’ last summer and therefore, they insist it was appropriate for his side to offer him a higher salary.
He’ll have a year left on his contract next summer and can be in a stronger position, if Trossard decides to leave Arsenal.