Arsenal team huddles at the start of each half are not unusual. Particularly away from home, they have tended to purposely place these huddles in front of their travelling away supporters. You may expect Martin Odegaard, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice to be barking out orders in that tightly knit circle that drowns out the outside noise, but at Burnley, the rallying call came from someone else.
Among all the physical specimens, it was 5ft 8in (173cm) Leandro Trossard leading the discussion as the Arsenal players waited for Mikel Merino to join them after replacing the injured Viktor Gyokeres.
Trossard may be unassuming on first glance, but his team-mates and manager Mikel Arteta know there is more to the Belgium international than meets the eye. He has often been Arsenal’s unexpected star since signing from Brighton & Hove Albion almost three years ago.
No Arsenal player has made more appearances under Arteta than Trossard since his debut in January 2023 (136), with Gabriel closest at 130. Only Saka has been directly involved in more goals for Arsenal than the Belgian’s 54 (30 goals and 24 assists, plus one more in the Community Shield) since making his Arsenal debut. Saka ranks first with 75, while Martin Odegaard is third with 50.
The 30-year-old also has the highest share of game-state-changing Premier League goals (61.9 per cent) among Arsenal players who have scored over 20 league goals in that time. And since his Arsenal debut, Trossard has been involved in more goals as a substitute (15) than any other Premier League player across all competitions (11 goals, 4 assists).
Trossard began this season as he did his previous two with Arsenal: on the bench. He only climbed off it in two of his first four league games, but after coming on in the 65th minute away at Athletic Club in the Champions League, a goal and an assist sparked his campaign. He has since started the last six games in the league.
Burnley away was the most recent, and while Saka, Gabriel and Rice were all present for that half-time huddle, ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League tie with Slavia Prague, Trossard said: “It’s a bit more about feeling (the moment). On the pitch, I’m always quite vocal and try to help my team-mates and myself as well, if you speak in certain situations.
“In some games it’s more necessary than others and it was a tough away game, so I knew how hard it would be. Sometimes it is (decided who will speak), but everyone can have that chat if they want to. I just felt like I had something to say about the game and how we needed to approach it and that’s why I did it.”
Arsenal were already 2-0 up at Burnley, and judging by their second-half performance, his words were seen through.
He may not look it, but Trossard is the third-oldest player in the Arsenal squad behind summer arrivals Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga (both 31). He is a respected voice in the changing room that, like Odegaard, may not be the loudest but is listened to.
In December 2024, Arteta light-heartedly said that Trossard is: “Naturally, a little bit of a moaner, but I like that because he’s very competitive and wants to always be the best. If not, that really pushes him. That’s why he can come on the pitch and make an impact. He’s got that drive and hunger to say ‘I’m going to show you’.”
Only Bukayo Saka has more involvements for the club since Trossard joined (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Ahead of the Slavia Prague game, Trossard added: “I think I was playing in that moment. Even in training, when I lose a game, I can get quite upset. I just have the mentality that I want to win everything, whether it’s football or games at home with my family and kids. If there’s a referee in training, I would tell them off as well, so that’s why he would say it. That’s just my personality.”
The need for characters like that at big clubs was put to him, with Roy Keane at Manchester United used as an example. Trossard laughed at the comparison but replied: “Everyone needs to be on their toes. Especially at this club. There are so many good players, so everybody needs to be sharp.”
In recent weeks, sharpness and freshness have been a necessity for Trossard in particular. His first league start this season was against Manchester City on September 21, and since then, Arsenal have either been nursing or been without Saka, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and now Gyokeres. Trossard’s fitness and availability have been and will remain key as Arsenal look to reach the November international break without another injury in the frontline.
While Trossard is a versatile player in forward areas, able to play centrally as well as on the left, that may work in his favour. Asked what his preferred position currently is, he said: “At the moment, it’s the left-wing position. At least I have some consistency there now. I think I’ve shown that as well on the pitch. But I’m always available to play any kind of position in the front position, so if the manager wants me to play there, I’ll play there, and I will try to do my best.”
Trossard has popped up at crucial moments already this season (David Ramos/Getty Images)
Arteta still manages to get a lot out of him tactically when used out wide. Last month, The Athletic highlighted how he had been dropping into deeper areas to help glue the team together in certain matches. The forward also spoke of different connections with Riccardo Calafiori, who he can play the ball to blind, and Myles Lewis-Skelly in those areas of the pitch.
No matter where Trossard plays against Slavia Prague and Sunderland at the weekend, he will continue to be an integral part of this Arsenal squad. He may not be a star name like Saka or Rice, but Arteta recognised his worth by providing him with improved terms in the summer.
The forward’s interventions have been critical over the last three years. Arsenal need that to continue over the next six months — whether they are goal contributions or less visible moments behind the scenes.