It has been confirmed that Premier League champion Leandro Trossard has left Arsenal after 174 appearances in North London.
The Belgian attacker will complete his £18 million move to Besiktas later today following the arrival of his flight. The cult hero was a crucial player in Arteta's title winning and Champions League final side but will move on after three and a half years in the capital.
The 31-year-old all but sealed the Premier League title for the Gunners with his goal against West Ham in May. However, he now finds himself out of England for the first time since the 18-19 when he was at Genk.
Arsenal brought in the left winger from Brighton for £27 million so despite the loss on money, the Arsenal board will trade that for the vital impact he had in winning the Premier League.
Arsenal Begin Search for Trossard's Replacement
With a glaringly obvious star filled gap on the left wing, Arsenal have been monitoring multiple players this window to replace Trossard. With both Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers both touted as key options this summer, the Gunners are looking to make an overhaul on the left.
Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis and Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi are also being monitored by the reigning Premier League Champions as they aim to go back to back.
Greek winger Tzolis has grabbed attention after 40 goal contributions in just 36 Belgian Pro League matches. With a rumoured £34 million transfer fee, Arsenal would need to break the Belgian Pro League record transfer fee.
The current highest sale in Belgian Pro League history is Babis Kostoulas' move to Brighton last season for just shy of £30 million. It is understood that the Tzolis deal wouldn't impact Arsenal's ability to sign another starlet left winger for a higher price.
Junior Kroupi and Morgan Rogers will command around £100 million each with both Villa and Bournemouth holding out to keep their best players. PSG have also made it clear that a bid of over £100 million would be needed to take Barcola across the English Channel and into the capital.
Could Christos Tzolis Return to the Premier League?
The Greek international is still young, 24 years old, but with a failed spell in the Premier League, is this what's holding Arsenal back?
The then 22 year old told Nieuwsblad: “I didn’t give much importance to the amount of my transfer at that time. I just wanted to play, get minutes and enjoy the game. That didn’t happen at Norwich. After seven games, Daniel Farke, the coach who supported me, was fired. Dean Smith, when he came in, had a completely different structure in mind. That was a choice that I had to respect, but it was the most difficult year of my career."
However just a few years later the tricky winger has refound his confidence and could look to return to the Premier League ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
