Ask Arsenal supporters who their favourite cult hero is and it is likely many will mention the name of Leandro Trossard.
There’s something of a Freddie Ljungberg to the Belgian. He wasn’t the best player in the team, nor did he get the most praise. He just quietly got on with the job in hand.
As the Gunners won the Premier League in 2025/26, Trossard was one of the most underappreciated and underrated players in the title-winning squad.
After signing from Brighton in 2023 for just £27m, he was phenomenal for Mikel Arteta. No goal was more vital, however, than his strike away at West Ham. It was the goal that all but wrapped up the league crown.
Alas, Trossard has now left for Besiktas and Arsenal are having to find a way to move on without him.
How Arsenal are faring post-Trossard
It was always likely that the Belgian would leave this summer. It’s not a surprise that the Gunners have needed to replace him.
In Christos Tzolis, they look like they have found the most perfect replacement. Speaking last week, Mikel Arteta actually compared their new Greek signing to Trossard.
“Tzolis is a very direct player,” Arteta said: “He’s got the ball between the eyes. I think really good at linking up. He has a lot of similarities with Leo in a lot of the things that he can do and the spaces he can occupy. And then the work ethic that he has. He’s a boy that comes with so much hunger as well and wants to prove it. It’s a dream for him and we are here to help him.”
It would be safe to say that he has enjoyed a tremendous start to life at the Emirates Stadium, scoring against Girona and then assisting goals against Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund.
The former Club Brugge man looks a certainty to start against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon and it would be a fine reward for his form since arriving from Belgium.
Despite that, improvement is still required. Gabriel Martinelli is attracting interest and has been the subject of a bid from Turkish side Galatasaray.
If Arsenal are to let him leave they will need to sign another left winger. That has been a priority anyway.
Arteta wanted both Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior but ended up with neither. To be assured of success post Trossard, they need to upgrade on their current options.
Arsenal could sign Premier League winger after Tzolis
Time is running out and indeed the options are wearing thin if Arsenal are to sign another winger this summer.
Vinicius Junior is the cream of the crop and to miss out on him is a gutting blow for the Gunners. But, alternatives are being lined up, one of which is Liverpool target and PSG superstar Bradley Barcola.
The Frenchman played no minutes in their Super Cup win over Aston Villa on Wednesday night, adding further fuel to the fire that this could be his last weeks in Paris.
However, with a £145m asking price, a move would appear to be prohibitive. Instead. Arsenal are looking at Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye.
That’s according to Caught Offside who reveal that Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all opened talks with the player’s camp regarding a move this summer.
The Senegalese winger has already rejected interest from Saudi Arabia to say in the Premier League so English sides look to have a free run at making a move.
Why would he be worth investing in? Well, like Trossard, he’s not an elite option and would not be a clear upgrade but he’d certainly offer a different level of dynamism to the left-hand side of Arsenal’s attack.
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Ndiaye vs Trossard: 25/26 Premier League stats |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Ndiaye |
Trossard |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.13 |
0.27 |
|
Shots |
1.39 |
2.38 |
|
Open play expected assists |
0.14 |
0.16 |
|
Open play big chances created |
0.23 |
0.36 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
1.13 |
1.57 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2.36 |
1.12 |
|
Expected threat in build-up |
0.41 |
0.38 |
|
Progressive carries |
2.97 |
2.83 |
Celebrated as “one of the best players in the Premier League” by Jamie O’Hara, the Toffees forward is such a tricky player in possession of the ball. Like Trossard, he’s brilliant in tight spaces and at combining play on the edge of the penalty area.
Last term, the pair both scored six goals in the league but Ndiaye did so from fewer shots, indicating that he’s more efficient in front of goal.
Trossard certainly looks more creative but when it comes to expected threat in the build-up phases of play and progressive carrying, they very alike.
Expected Threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (like a pass or carry) increase their team’s probability of scoring.
This is not a move that blow Arsenal’s finances out of the water, nor would it be Arsenal’s first choice. That’s okay though. Remember, Trossard was not first choice when he signed three years ago. Chelsea flop Mykhailo Mudryk was and look how that turned out.
Like the former Brighton man, it feels as though Ndiaye is just waiting to explode once he moves to a bigger club. Perhaps Arteta’s side could hand him the ability to do just that.
