A tribute to one of Arsenal’s most underrated performers over the last few years as he departs.
At the time of writing, Mykhailo Mudryk has not played football in just under 20 months. The Ukrainian winger is not yet halfway through a four-year suspension, imposed upon him for violating the FA’s anti-doping laws after he tested positive for that indiscretion in December of 2024. Mudryk has since appealed the ban, but currently awaits an outcome on that front.
In the meantime, all indications are that he is biding his time until he is cleared to return to action. You can find a plethora of claims online regarding his activity away from football — training at the facilities of a seventh-tier English club, working as a rideshare driver, playing plenty of Counter-Strike, and considering a pivot to Olympic sprinting are what I’ve seen — but it’s hard to know how much of that is actually the case. After all, this is the internet we’re talking about.
There is a timeline in which it is Arsenal who must contend with the embarrassment and fallout that comes with this sort of scandal. After all, they had tried quite hard to sign Mudryk in January of 2023. As the Ukrainian flirted with the Gunners rather heavy-handedly on Instagram, the club submitted three separate bids to Shakhtar Donetsk. The third and final bid was worth around £80 million all in, which would have been a club record at the time. Arsenal really, truly, wanted to sign him.
Luckily, in this timeline he ended up being Chelsea’s problem.
That is because Todd Boehly, whose consortium with Clearlake Capital had taken over the club just the previous May, was intent on making a splash in the transfer market. Eager to impress an uncertain fanbase, Boehly oversaw the acquisition of an eye-bulging nine players during the January window. As part of that massive splurge, Chelsea highjacked Arsenal’s imminent deal for Mudryk by offering a grand total of €100 million, with a portion of that astronomical transfer fee earmarked for donation to the Ukrainian military. The Gunners bowed out, rightfully unwilling to entertain the extracurriculars that Shakhtar and Mudryk’s agent reportedly demanded.
Instead they acquired Leandro Trossard from Brighton, opting to pay a more reasonable £20 million plus £7 million in add-ons for the Belgian. The forward had fallen out spectacularly that month with Roberto De Zerbi (who coincidentally had managed at Shakhtar the previous year and continues to weave himself into the outer edges of the tapestry of this Arsenal era) and wished to depart. Arsenal, in the midst of an unexpected title charge, saw an opportunity and poached the wantaway Seagull alongside Chelsea’s Jorginho and Spezia’s Jakub Kiwior.
The move indicated a rather drastic pivot by the north London club. Mudryk was relatively exciting, a 22-year-old with elite athleticism, blistering pace, and an “Only Jesus” neck tattoo that seemed to invitingly exclaim, “I’m trouble, but I might be worth it.” The compilations flying around on social media at the time made him look like the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, you didn’t need to examine too closely to observe that the Ukrainian was extremely raw in terms of technical quality — the miniature rockets he had for feet typically seemed to double as trampolines whenever they came into contact with a football. He would have been a project signing, a buy-low opportunity for Mikel Arteta to coach up into a superstar.
In contrast, Trossard represented a more refined and readymade option. Already in his late twenties, the Belgian was an elder statesman who could help balance the age profile of a young squad that had entered its winning window ahead of schedule. As the Premier League wised up to Arsenal’s status as a contender, he was someone you could trust to do their work consistently on and off the ball. Trossard was far from glamorous, but he was reliable. He would rarely be a burden, even if that meant less frequent moments of magic. Not that he wasn’t capable of them; just a few months before his switch to north London, he had scored a hat trick against Liverpool.
For those reasons, I was far more intrigued than disappointed when Arsenal unveiled the Belgian.
In his first few months at Arsenal, Trossard managed to contribute quite impressively. In 18 Premier League matches for the Gunners, the new man chipped in with a goal and ten assists. Unfortunately, the Arteta project’s first foray into the big time was derailed in the end by debilitating injuries at right center back.
The following season was of course Trossard’s first full campaign with his new side. And this time around Trossard flipped the script, shifting from solid provider to Arsenal’s second-best scorer with 17 goals in all competitions. His three assists took that to 20 total goal contributions, making him a crucial piece in a team that narrowly lost out on the league title to a near-perfect Manchester City.
The 2024/25 season saw Trossard once again achieve that number of goal involvements, this time managing an even split between strikes and assists. Even during a campaign that involved a string of baffling refereeing decisions, an avalanche of injuries for the Gunners, and a grueling first-half schedule, the Belgian winger still managed to be one of Arsenal’s top contributors in the final third. Despite constant disruption around him, Trossard continued to offer high-level consistency.
This past, final season marked something of a departure for Trossard. After a productive start to the 2025/26 title push, the Belgian trailed off slightly and only scored one goal for Arsenal this calendar year (granted, it was a massively important goal). And yet, Trossard ultimately finished with 19 goal contributions, just one fewer than he achieved in each of the previous two full campaigns. That, I think, is what will be the hardest thing to replace about Trossard moving forward: the unflinching steadfastness.
Let’s be clear — Arsenal’s no. 19 wasn’t the club’s most talented player nor their most athletically gifted. He doesn’t have the constantly correct decision-making of Bukayo Saka, the towering height of Kai Havertz, or the defense-splitting sprint speed of Gabriel Martinelli. Trossard, with all due endless oceans of respect, has never been a player you look at and think, “That’s a superstar.”
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What the Belgian does have is skill on the ball. He can twist and turn in possession with the best of them (and sometimes, he did it far more than he needed to at a particular moment), and was very capable of bamboozling his marker; I’ll never forget how Trossard Cruyff-turned Pedro Porro in a North London Derby so emphatically that the Spaniard required medical attention. Or his clever touch to get past two men on the left flank and score Arsenal’s third at home to Liverpool three seasons ago. More than almost any of Arteta’s other players, Trossard is extremely two-footed, giving him not only grace but unpredictability in possession that he exploits as often as he can.
The man also has a penchant for floating a sumptuous cross. It’s practically a signature move of his; he’ll glide from a standstill or a couple stepovers towards the byline before deftly chipping on his left foot, or he’ll cut in on his right foot and fire in a cross on his right. We saw it repeatedly during Fulham’s visit to the Emirates just a few months ago; Trossard chipped in a great ball for Riccardo Calafiori to head in before the goal was ruled offside, and followed that up by lofting a pass perfectly enough for Viktor Gyökeres to knock in his second of the game with his noggin. At Manchester City, he whipped in a beauty from the right flank that Kai Havertz was unfortunately unable to nod home in the dying moments of the 2-1 loss. Even at this year’s World Cup, it was a cross by the Belgian that allowed countryman Youri Tielemans to tuck home an equalizer as their national team executed a stunning comeback against Senegal.
There are other great qualities as well. Trossard was a very hard worker off the ball for Arsenal, willing to track back deep into his own half and get stuck into a challenge to fulfill his defensive duties. Especially alongside Calafiori, his intelligent combination play made Arsenal’s left flank as functional as we’ve seen it during the Arteta era. And he was generally such a delightfully endearing character, with permanent dark rings around his eyes that betrayed an inadvisable sleep deprivation and a Hulk-esque anger crammed into his rather diminutive frame. He always seemed to play with a chip on his shoulder, which the manager hilariously tried to manipulate on occasion.
And sure, there were faults. Disaster struck disproportionately when he passed back into his own half; although I must stress, I have forgiven him for that poorly punted ball that got William Saliba sent off at Bournemouth. Sometimes, he dallied too much on the ball and let attacks pass him by. Other times, he seemed deathly allergic to shooting first-time, even when it was clear an extra touch would kill his goalscoring opportunity.
But what Trossard will be remembered most lovingly by Arsenal fans for will be his ability to come up with a match-changing moment. Over the last three and a half years, there have been so many instances when the Gunners needed a goal and the Belgian popped up with an all-too-important contribution. When the likes of Saka and Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze are unable to do what it takes to win the match or at least save a point, it’s often been Trossard who has saved the day.
The numbers back that up as well. Since his arrival in January of 2023, Trossard has scored 27 goals in the Premier League. According to The Athletic 17 of those goals were game-state-changing strikes, making for a rate of 63% in that regard, which is third-highest on the roster. Simply put, Trossard has been an immensely clutch player for Arsenal.
Of course, I’ve written a lot of this piece in the past tense because the Belgian’s time at Arsenal has sadly come to an end. On Monday, Fabrizio Romano and HandOfArsenal confirmed that Trossard will imminently join Beşiktaş on a permanent transfer. An official announcement of the move is undoubtedly on the horizon. He reportedly does so for a package of about €20 million.
Despite the frustration I’ve seen regarding that fee, ultimately I think it’s one that makes sense. Trossard departs north London at the age of 31, essentially nearing the twilight of his career if he is not already there. He had two years remaining on his deal with Arsenal to boot, and the impression I get is that the forward wanted to move to Turkey, probably limiting the Gunners’ leverage. I couldn’t tell you the reason — maybe the wages he’ll receive there are better than what anyone else offered him, maybe it’s his best chance of being the main man somewhere, maybe he just really wants to live in Istanbul for a little while. In any event, all of those factors make the final price rather unsurprising.
But for me, the value derived from a player is more than a simple equation. Contrary to popular belief, “x” does not equal how much a footballer is sold for minus how much their arrival cost. It’s far more than that.
It’s the achievements that player contributed to while they were at the club. It’s how strongly they made you feel about them and created a connection, however parasocial, with the club faithful. It’s the memories they gave countless strangers which will last us all lifetimes before being passed down to the next generation to last for their lifetimes as well.
Trossard achieved a great deal in north London. During his time at the club, Arsenal never finished lower than second place in the Premier League. Which means that after seven years away from Europe’s premier competition, they have now qualified for the Champions League in four consecutive seasons. That’s a dramatic increase in prestige, more lucrative sponsorship deals, an influx of fans around the world. That’s billions in revenue. And I know that’s not “our money”, but that cash leads to more and better players, and hopefully bigger and better things. And Trossard contributed to that.
But more important are the memories the Belgian gave us. And there are a lot to choose from.
There is his 84th-minute goal at Stamford Bridge in October of 2023 to snatch a critical draw after Chelsea had established a 2-0 lead. So early in the campaign following the remarkable title charge the season before, going down multiple goals against the Blues had felt like a shock to the system. But Trossard had saved the day by latching onto Saka’s cross to the back post.
There’s also the Belgian’s hat trick of assists at Fulham. Less than two months after moving to Arsenal, Trossard created every goal in the Gunners’ 3-0 at Craven Cottage. First he took a corner that found Gabriel (who else?) to knock in and make it 1-0. Then after Granit Xhaka ran the ball up the pitch on the counter, the winger lofted a ball to the back post for Martinelli to nod in. And finally, a similar cross allowed Martin Ødegaard to fire in the third.
I also think of equalizer against Bayern.
And the winner at Old Trafford.
And the thunderbolt at Sunderland.
And the equalizer against Bayern Munich.
Then there’s the leveler against Porto.
And also the ball for Mikel Merino’s second at Leicester.
And multiple North London Derby goals.
And the winner at Villa Park that he refused to celebrate, probably because of annoyance that he didn’t start.
But of course, there is now a moment that stands above the rest of these, one that will be the first to come to mind whenever we think of Trossard. That goal at West Ham this past season, that desperate, deflected shot that found its way into the back of Mads Hermansen’s net in the 83rd minute and nudged his side onto the threshold of greatness, will forever stand as the centerpiece of his Arsenal legacy. Nine days later, the Gunners crossed that threshold as City drew at Bournemouth. In that moment, the Belgian cemented his status as a legend of the club.
Bearing in mind the low transfer fee, the sale that recoups most of that expenditure, and all the achievements and jubilation in between, Trossard surely goes down as pound-for-pound one of the best signings in Arsenal’s recent history. This is someone who arrived as depth for the left wing position, a squad option with experience who could provide something extra for a team aiming to compete. Instead, he established himself as a bona fide starter, a vital cog in a machine that might not have achieved its main ambition without him.
More than was the case for most players, witnessing Trossard lift the Premier League trophy at the end of May instilled in me a sense of deep satisfaction. He has been part of this journey, not since the very beginning, but since the dream of returning the title to north London first began to feel achievable. And he has helped see it through.
Leandro Trossard departs Arsenal an English champion. I’ve seen supporters refer to him as a cult hero, but in my opinion that’s a distinction reserved for players we love who otherwise haven’t etched their names in the history books for the Gunners. Trossard is more than that. He is a legend of this football club. Having ensured that, the Belgian now rides off into the sunset.
Arsenal will of course attempt to replace his contributions in the squad now. I think they’ll just about manage to do so — I find myself fairly optimistic regarding what Morgan Rogers and Christos Tzolis can provide — but they’ll doubtlessly be different from Trossard in some way. I’m also confident that players like Mikel Merino can help make up for the lost “clutch gene” the diminutive forward will take with him. However, when that delta becomes evident from time to time, I know I’ll find myself missing the Belgian.
And perhaps that’s the toughest thing about Trossard’s departure: he probably could have stayed another season and been more than helpful. You can make the argument that his dip in form to start the calendar year was related to personal issues and that he still has a lot to give. We’ve just watched him be easily Belgium’s best player at the World Cup. But often in life, the best time to end a story is often before you’re truly ready to.
I wish him all the best with Beşiktaş. I hope he writes more exultant chapters in his story and remembers to visit the Emirates Stadium for a match from time to time. But in the interval, I’ll always cherish what he contributed during his time at Arsenal.
I’m not good at goodbyes. So instead of saying one, I’ll just leave it at this: thank you, Leo. Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself, and see you later.
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