Seeing Mykhailo Mudryk get unveiled in Stamford Bridge ahead of Chelsea’s home game against Crystal Palace left a bitter taste in my mouth but in all honesty, there was no more point crying over spilled milk as that ship had sailed. Arsenal has to focus on other replacements / alternatives that have been aligned as transfer targets, and with the club’s title charge, it is imperative to have the right amount of depth in the club.
As you’d expect, several tabloids have started linking other players with the club, with names like Raphinha, a summer transfer target, on the spotlight, but the player himself has been quick to quash those links, stating that he’s not keen on leaving Barcelona and he showed his elation on winning his first trophy with the club, the Spanish Super Cup, against eternal rivals, Real Madrid. Arsenal’s intentions to sign Raphinha in the summer was very genuine, but like Mudryk, Chelsea hijacked the deal, and received the L when Raphinha chose to follow his heart and join Barcelona, instead of his pocket.
I guess we can’t say the same for Mudryk. After those Instagram posts, professing his adulation for Arsenal, he went ahead and signed an eight-and-a-half year deal with Chelsea, and I’m still expecting him to say that the little boy inside him told him to go for Chelsea instead.
According to Metro, Arsenal is currently locking horns with rivals, Tottenham, for the signature of wantaway Brighton forward, Leandro Trossard. Trossard has been on the news following the allegations of a severed relationship between the player and his manager, Roberto De Zerbi. It is believed that the Brighton gaffer questioned the attitude / behavior of the player, and with the emergence of Kaoru Mitoma on the side, Trossard has struggled to nail a place in the team in recent weeks.
This comes as a surprise, as Trossard has been on good form for Brighton before the World Cup break. He opened his Premier League account in the 2-0 away win against West Ham and followed it up with a goal in the 5-2 drubbing of Leicester, before scoring an amazing hattrick in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. The last player that scored those amount of goals in Anfield to the best of my knowledge was a certain Andrey Arshavin. Trossard continued his fine form, scoring his sixth league goal of the season in the loss to Manchester City, and what proved to potentially be his last goal for the club was the opener in the 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea in Graham Potter’s homecoming.
I really don’t know how things deteriorated to the level where Trossard’s agent launched those scathing accusations on the manager, but what we know for sure is that his time at the Amex Stadium is done and his agent is looking to move his client to a new club.
Which brings me to his links with Arsenal. At 28, Trossard is not a player for the future, so if he joins a club like Arsenal, he will be expected to deliver from the off. 25 goals in 116 games for Brighton isn’t going to light up any fireworks, but one of the pros of having a player like Trossard is the fact that he’s very versatile, as he’s adept playing as a center forward, wing positions, and even as a left wing back, as the crazy Potter featured him. Trossard will also add some depth to the attacking department for Arsenal and while I don’t expect him to be a first teamer, he can feature in Cup games and make the occasional substitute appearances in the league. The fact that he’s also proved Premier League quality is a plus for me, as no adaptation will be required.
I’m also certain that a reasonable fee can be reached with Brighton for his services, but we will need to really confirm if Arsenal is genuinely interested in signing the Belgian forward. Edu and Co will still be licking their wounds from the Mudryk disappointment, but we must move forward and sign a forward that will support our charge for our first league title since 2004.
Sayonara
