In The Athletic (£), James reports that Arsenal and Besiktas have agreed a €20m deal for the transfer of Leandro Trossard.
There has been ongoing speculation about his future, and it now looks as if his time in North London has come to an end.
The 31 year signed for the Gunners from Brighton in January 2023, after the pursuit of Mykhaylo Mudryk was unsuccessful and the Ukrainian was moved to Chelsea (reportedly against his will as his preference was to join Mikel Arteta’s side).
Trossard’s £23m deal was significantly cheaper than the near £100m outlay on Mudryk, and some have suggested it was a bullet dodged given his struggles to adapt to English football and subsequent ban for alleged doping.
However, it doesn’t give the Belgian international enough credit for the quality and consistency he’s shown since his arrival. In 174 appearances he scored 36 goals and provided 34 assists, and was almost always available – for a team with an injury record like ours, that’s a very valuable thing.
He had lean spells, but overall provided excellent value in his three and a half at the club, and contributed 6 Premier League goals and 6 assists to help us win the title in May. With just a year left on his current deal, and heading towards the September of his career, it’s a move that makes sense for both parties.
Official confirmation is likely to follow his World Cup commitments, where he has played in all four Belgian games, scoring twice and providing two assists in games against Senegal and New Zealand.
Some of that Trossard fee is likely to go on Christos Tzolis, the Greek international who currently plays for Club Brugge, but Arsenal have also been linked with other left-sided players including PSG’s Bradley Barcola, and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers who can play out there.