Arteta hit the jackpot on Arsenal "wizard" who's now worth more than Olise
Arteta hit the jackpot on Arsenal “wizard” who’s now worth more than Olise
It has been another brilliant season for Arsenal this year, and while the ultimate fate of the Premier League is now in Manchester City’s hands, the Gunners look set to challenge for some time to come.
The North Londoner’s rejuvenation has been in large part thanks to the combined efforts of manager Mikel Arteta and Sporting Director Edu Gaspar.
The pair have flipped the script on the club’s history of lacklustre transfer dealings by overseeing successful signing after successful signing in the last few years.
Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Ben White have all been transformational additions to the team, but another signing deserves just as much praise, and his recent valuation is proof as much.
Leandro Trossard’s Arsenal career
The player in question is Belgium international Leandro Trossard, who signed for the Gunners from Brighton & Hove Albion midway through last season.
While it can often take signings a little while to settle into their new team and surroundings, the Maasmechelen-born winger looked at home from his first appearance.
By the end of the season, the 29-year-old had provided ten assists and scored one goal in just 22 appearances – 11 of which were starts – meaning he was averaging a goal involvement every other game from the word go.
His most impressive performance came away to Fulham in mid-March, as in just his sixth start as an Arsenal player, he provided a hat-trick of assists in the first half to essentially win his side the game before the interval.
At the end of the season, the right-footed “wizard,” as described by journalist Charlie Haffenden, had the second-most assists of any Arsenal player across all competitions, which is truly remarkable considering the significant headstart his teammates had over him.
This season, seemingly bored with being the provider last year, the brilliantly talented Belgian has shifted his focus to scoring goals, and as things stand, he has found the back of the net 16 times in 44 appearances while still picking up two assists for good measure.
In all, Trossard has been an unequivocal success at Arsenal, and the impressive finances behind the deal only make his impact more remarkable.
Leandro Trossard’s valuation in 2024
Arsenal paid Brighton just £27m to sign the 28-year-old winger in a deal that was generally seen as a fallback option after missing out on the far pricier Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea.
The 5 foot 8 attacker was also given a reasonable wage of £90k-per-week, and so there was little expectation that he would go on to have the sort of impact he has.
Yet, a year and a half later, the 33-capped international’s performances have been so impressive that even though he’ll turn 30 this year – four years past his peak, according to The Athletic – his valuation has actually increased.
According to the CIES Football Observatory, the Arsenal winger is now worth €40m, which is around £34m, or £7m more than he cost the Gunners last January.
To put that into context, as per the same site, he is worth just as much as Ben White and David Raya. Across the Premier League, interestingly, it is also €10m – £9m – more than the valuation of Crystal Palace’s tremendously exciting Michael Olise, which just goes to show how impressive the performances of the former Genk man have been.
Olise has been nothing short of exceptional this term too, scoring nine goals and assisting four during an injury-disrupted period that’s seen him feature just 17 times. Still, that’s been enough to link him with a move to Arsenal in recent times.
Ultimately, while the signings of Rice and Havertz are likely to have a more significant impact on the club’s long-term trajectory, the decision to sign Trossard last season was a genius one, and his recent valuation is yet more evidence of that fact. Just imagine if they get Olise too.
Related
Arsenal eye “unstoppable” Isak alternative who’d be an upgrade on Havertz
The incredible striker has been in unbelievable form this season.