Under the guidance of manager Mikel Arteta and Sporting Director Edu, Arsenal has transformed over the past few years and evolved into a title challenger.

A valuable side of the club’s operations that has experienced significant upgrades is recruitment. During Arsenal’s long spell of mediocrity, there were many irrational and overpriced player purchases as the club lacked a fundamental recruitment policy.

However, that has not been the case in recent transfer windows, with the £27 million purchase of Leandro Trossard epitomizing their new-found recruitment philosophy of buying talent that produces the best value for money.

Instant Sucess

Trossard joined Arsenal last season in the January transfer window and hit the ground running. The versatile Belgium forward was primarily deployed on the left wing, as he is employed this season, and repaid handsome dividends instantly for Arteta.

In the 2022-23 campaign, Trossard was an assists machine – recording 10 assists in less than 1000 minutes – a remarkable average return of one assist per game.

The data reflected Trossard’s direct involvement in Arsenal’s goals with his contributions to the team’s Goal-Creating Actions (GCA), offensive actions that lead to a shot, which was the highest in the squad.

His role this season, however, has changed from goal-provider to goal-scorer – pitching in with 11 goals so far. The numbers echo Trossard’s modified role, with his shooting figures higher than last season, whereas his creative passing numbers have taken a dip. The expected goals and assists are suitable metrics that illustrate the above observation.

Crucial Contributor

Trossard is unmistakably one of the most pivotal contributors to the Arsenal attacking unit – manufacturing numerous game-changing and season-defining moments for the Gunners.

In the very first match of the season, the FA Community Shield Final that Arsenal won against the Premier League title frontrunners Manchester City, Trossard vitally scored in the closing minutes of the match to equalize the game. The Reds would proceed to be crowned victors in the penalty shootout to kickstart their season in the best way possible.

His impact would continue immediately in the Premier League by scoring the only goal in a challenging tie against Everton, who has turned out to be one of the best defensive units in the league.

In a tricky London Derby showdown against Chelsea, where Arteta’s men looked far from their usual selves, Trossard scored the crucial leveller in the 84th minute to secure a valuable point.

His next goal of significance would come against Liverpool in a commanding 3-1 win in January. Although Gabriel Martinelli scored the goal that gave Arsenal the lead at 2-1, Trossard’s goal that secured the result sent a message to the rest of the league that believed Arsenal was out of the title race, having lost three games the month prior.

Trossard’s influence was also visible in the Champions League, where he scored against Porto at the Emirates to equal the tie at 1-1 on aggregate, making it possible for Arsenal to drag the game to penalties where they would eventually win and qualify to the quarterfinals.

Although Arsenal was knocked out in the next round by Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich, Trossard’s vital goal to end the first leg at 2-2 allowed Arteta to have a better shot of qualifying at the Allianz Arena.

His impact has been evident in recent weeks, with important inputs against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea, and Tottenham. As Arsenal continue to fight against the perennial champions in City, they will require all their assets to keep firing.

Since joining, Trossard has proved to be a dangerous weapon in Arteta’s arsenal, who will be called upon once again during the final stretch of the 2023-24 season to push the North Londoners to a historic Premier League title.