Over the summer I wrote a piece about Leandro Trossard in which I argued that he had had a better season than he’d been credited for. In 2023-24, as Arsenal fought tooth and nail with Manchester City for the title, winning 16 of their last 18 Premier League matches, Trossard enjoyed a 2002 Freddie Ljungberg like run in front of goal.
Trossard scored 12 Premier League goals in 2023-24, nine of them were scored in the second half of the season. That Arsenal team had a strong bill of health and was replete with creativity and players who are elite in the build-up phase, Odegaard, Saka and Havertz. What they really needed was a finisher and that was the role Trossard played.
In particular he struck up a good understanding with Havertz and the majority of his goals were first time finishes, running on to the ball in the area. The Belgian has two very good feet and a very short back lift, qualities that make him an excellent shooter and finisher. Ambipedal players tend to have good balance- the Ajax academy promotes two footedness in players not just because it makes them more difficult to read but it affords them a more stable centre of gravity.
When Trossard shoots on his left foot, he doesn’t ’swing’ his leg like a lot of players when they shoot on their weaker foot. His technique remains true and his contact is stable. Most attackers either refuse to use their weaker foot and switch back inside, or else they absolutely swing their leg and smash the back of the ball. Often that can work but it means their finishing lacks variety.
Trossard’s competence on his left foot means he retains his balance and he can apply different flourishes when he connects with the ball. Against both Slavia Praha and Burnley, Arsenal scored goals from left-footed crosses by Trossard. His ability to use both feet makes him far more difficult for full-backs and defenders to read.
Look at his winning goal in last season’s North London derby- one of the many ‘clutch’ goals Trossard has scored for Arsenal. He could equally take that chance on his right foot but he wants a low, straight finish into the bottom corner so he opts to use his left and he keeps the ball low and hard. Being an ambidepal simply means you have more clubs in your bag.
Trossard’s 2024-25 season was less feted than his efforts the campaign previous. I felt this was because Arsenal’s season overall did not fire the imagination as much. But also the emphasis of Trossard’s end-product changed. He had 12 goals and an assist in the Premier League in 2023-24. In 2024.25, he managed eight goals and seven assists.
His overall end product improved last season but there was a shift to creativity- though his XG actually didn’t shift too much, his 12 Premier League goals in 2023-24 came from 7.9XG and his eight in 2024-25 came from 7.2XG, he ran a little ‘hot’ in 2023-24 and that trend corrected a little. Long story short, his output retained its level among a slew of attacking injuries.
With Odegaard injured and then out of form and Havertz and Saka missing for long spells, Trossard became more important to Arsenal’s build-up and he was able to shift his emphasis accordingly. When he was signed from Brighton in January 2023, it was apparent that he played a number of positions for the Seagulls.
At Arsenal, the vast majority of his appearances have been on the left-wing, yet the functions he has performed from that position have changed. Just look at the constant evolution at left-back- from Zinchenko to Tomiyasu to Lewis Skelly to Calafiori. Have you ever heard anyone suggest that he is incompatible with certain full-backs?
The true value of Trossard to Arsenal is not necessarily his positional versatility but his attribute versatility. He simply cuts his cloth to what is emerging around him. Arsenal made moves to address their attacking depth over the summer with Eze, Gyokeres and Madueke all signed at expense.
Like many fans, I felt Trossard’s footballing value would decrease this season (not so much that I felt he would be surplus, mind). Arteta might have to consider the difficult question as to whether the team suffers so many attacking injuries because of the amount of physical labour his forwards perform out of possession. Yet Trossard’s availability has been exemplary to this point.
His value this season has not just been availability, however. Once again, he has been able to shape shift to what the team needs him to be. Arsenal have three brand new attacking players, two of whom in Eze and Gyokeres have started the majority of games. Havertz and Odegaard have barely featured this season and Saka and Martinelli have been unavailable.
Trossard has simultaneously assumed the form Arsenal needed him to yet again, while at the same time providing a sort of continuity and reference point that has prevented the team from looking like a collection of strangers in attack. I think his qualities as a leader (which has seen him occasionally cast as a slightly waspish presence in the squad) are also undervalued externally.
I recall being very grabbed by an interview Aaron Ramsdale gave in the summer of 2023 when he talked about Trossard. ‘Trossard’s coming in to take someone’s place, in his head. It might look like he’s coming to be part of the squad, but deep down…he is coming to take one of the front three player’s place.’
His surliness is surely a product of his competitiveness and yet the role he has taken in the squad has been altruistic and malleable according to the team’s needs. The pay rise he earned this summer was deserved and I would wager he has pretty much already paid it back. If this team achieves what it should in terms of silverware, Trossard will surely become part of Arsenal folklore.
