Arsenal were crying out for a new left-winger in the summer, but Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta took one final spin of the wheel.
In the summer, Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta raised eyebrows when they overlooked the signing of a new left-winger and, instead, decided to reward Leandro Trossard with a new contract, which didn’t even extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium. But, they’ve had the last laugh, with Arsenal in pole position to win the Premier League.
Trossard fired the Gunners to victory over West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, stepping up to the plate when it mattered most. Arsenal were just minutes away from conceding significant ground in the race for the title, gifting Manchester City the chance to reclaim top-spot.
But, the Belgium international showed his teeth and dragged the Gunners to victory. In that moment, he repaid the faith of his head coach and the sporting director, scoring his first goal in 26 games across all competitions.
Despite pressure to splash the cash on a household left-winger, with neither Trossard nor Gabriel Martinelli previously capable of getting the Gunners over the line, Arteta and Berta held their nerve. Taking one more spin of the wheel, they tied the Belgian down to a lucrative new deal.
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football.london understands that Arsenal decided to offer Trossard a pay rise, rather than an extension, to better reflect his contributions and role in the squad. With the winger turning 31 in December 2025, the announcement raised questions about the direction of the project in north London.
But, the Gunners boss was delighted with the decision. In August, he said: “That situation has been resolved in a really great way and I think he deserves recognition, and we are very happy to have him.”
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Arteta added: “The good players always have options to go. Leo was very clear from the beginning that he wanted to go here, the club was very clear that they wanted Leo here, I was very clear that I wanted him here. At the end, good outcome.”
After a slow start to the campaign, Trossard finally found his groove, ending the calendar year with five goals and three assists in his last 10 games in the Premier League. At the height of the Belgian’s rich vein of form, Arteta claimed there was ‘no chance’ he’d let him leave in the summer.
“For me, it was forbidden for him to leave,” the Arsenal boss following the 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in November. “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.
“I fully agree. It was one of the best games, 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.
“So that’s what we need. As I said, I think individually the players were excellent today.”
Until last weekend, Trossard hadn’t had the desired impact, going 26 games across all competitions without a goal. But, when Arteta needed somebody to step up to the plate in a potentially title-deciding clash, the Belgian was there to save the day.
The Arsenal boss will hope Trossard can pick up from where he left off when they play hosts to Burnley on Monday night…
