Martin Keown has said Arsenal are losing a 'fantastic servant' in Leandro Trossard and the club must have someone 'very special' in the pipeline to replace him on the left wing. Arsenal confirmed today that they had reached an agreement with Besiktas over the permanent transfer of Trossard, 31, and the forward has been given permission to undergo a medical with the Turkish giants.
Trossard's Arsenal Career
Trossard spent four years with the Gunners following a £21 million move from Brighton back in 2023, going on to rack up 36 goals and 34 assists in 174 appearances under Mikel Arteta. Six of those goals came last season as Arsenal won the Premier League trophy, which proved to be the Belgian's only major silverware apart from the Community Shield triumph three years earlier.
It is understood Trossard will sign a three-year contract at Besiktas, with the two clubs settling on a £17 million transfer fee for the attacker.
Keown's Reaction
'I'm not surprised. I think he's been a fantastic servant for Arsenal, come in and done an amazing job,' former Arsenal and England defender Keown said of Trossard's departure on talkSPORT. 'They don't really get a lot of money, Arsenal, from players that they let go. So I think they're looking at this and thinking, "Okay, we're going to bring in another winger in… which one of Trossard or [Gabriel] Martinelli should we let go?", and Martinelli was coming into some really good form. I think Martinelli did really for Brazil actually.'
According to Keown, Arsenal must have a 'special' talent in their sights if they are prepared to let a player of Trossard's qualities leave this summer.
Potential Replacements
Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Club Brugge's Christos Tzolis are among the names being linked with the Gunners. However, Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers, who is comfortable playing both on the wing and in midfield, is believed to be at the top of Arsenal's wishlist for the new season.
'Trossard goes with a heavy heart from the fans but I can understand the business they're doing,' Keown added. 'They must have somebody very special lined up to come into this role on the left wing for Arsenal.'
Villa have reportedly set a £100 million price tag on Rogers this summer, with the player himself said to be 'keen' on a move to the Emirates. Keown has his doubts, though, questioning whether a big-money bid for Rogers is the right 'direction' for his former team.
Reacting to Villa's £100 million asking price for Rogers, Keown said: 'Gosh! Well, he's a player who was available to everybody when he was at Manchester City not so long ago. I'm not sure that's the direction that Arsenal will go in, I can't see that being the case. Let's see. You've got Max Dowman coming through who plays as a No.10 eventually and you don't want to be blocking any pathways. Maybe the money is going to be spent on another centre-forward, let's see. It would be phenomenal if they could go for another centre-forward.'
Other Arsenal Transfers
Illan Meslier remains the only new face at Arsenal at this stage of the transfer window. The 26-year-old goalkeeper allowed his contract to run down at Leeds United and joined the Gunners on a free transfer last week. He will be expected to play second fiddle to undisputed number one David Raya, with Kepa Arrizabalaga rumoured to be on his way out of north London. Arsenal also signed Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis last month after activating a £35 million clause in their deal with Bayer Leverkusen for the defender.
