Dec 31, 2025, 11:58 AM
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Arsenal end 2025 on top of the Premier League, with the hope that the new year will eventually end their long-awaited hunt for a trophy.
The Gunners relied mostly on a stout defence to see them through this year, conceding just 30 Premier League goals in the past 12 months.
In attack, their penchant for set-pieces has been a reliable source of goals -- former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov described Arsenal as "the new Stoke City."
However, it is winger Leandro Trossard who has been their main attacking outlet this calendar year.
The Belgium international got a goal and an assist on Tuesday as Arsenal steamrolled title rivals Aston Villa, making Trossard his side's leader in both goals and assists in the Premier League this year.
Across all competitions, it is a similar story. Trossard leads the way on combined goal contributions, despite stiff competition for game-time from Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli.
Trossard's 2025
Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Trossard notched five goals and five assists in the first half of this year, but by the summer, he was still linked with a move away from Arsenal -- he reportedly drew interest from Bayern Munich.
Instead, he signed a new contract in August.
That move came amidst the arrivals of Madueke, Eze and Viktor Gyökeres, but Trossard's contribution has not diminished. He has made 17 starts across all competitions and is their joint top scorer (seven goals) alongside Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka.
"For me it was forbidden for him to leave," Arteta said last month.
"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."
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Trossard has continued to make a difference this year -- seven of his 12 goals came when the scores were level. He has also created the fourth-most number of chances (58) behind Declan Rice (94), Martin Ødegaard (93) and Saka (64).
"I fully agree. [Against Tottenham in November] was one of the best games, Arteta added, "so aggressive with and without the ball, so effective, he could have scored another one or two goals, and he was involved in so many positive actions."