Mikel Arteta is delighted to have signed Leandro Trossard in time to make his Arsenal debut against Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta took a thinly-veiled dig at Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk by hailing the way in which Brighton dealt with Arsenal over the transfer of Leandro Trossard.
Just a week ago it looked like Mykhailo Mudryk would be heading to north London before Chelsea made a decisive late move and hijacked a deal Arsenal had spent weeks working on.
With the Blues also having beaten their north London rivals to the loan signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid, the current Premier League leaders were forced to draw up alternative plans.
In Trossard, they have secured the services of one of the division’s form players this season and one who should be able to slot in straight away and make an immediate impact.
Having ultimately wasted a fortnight trying to get the Mudryk deal over the line, Arteta is delighted to have put that disappointment behind him and secure the services of a player fully committed to the Arsenal cause.
‘He had permission from his club to do so (speak to Arsenal), he told Sky Sports.
‘It was great, it was really nicely done between clubs, between player, between agent. I really liked the process and what happened at the end, obviously.
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‘He’s a player that will give us a lot of versatility, a lot of quality and composure in that final third. He knows the league, he was available to come, he was desperate to come.
‘We welcome those type of players to the club.’
Trossard, meanwhile, is raring to go and has hinted at the position he would prefer to fill in Arteta’s fluid forward line.
He said: ‘I like to be in the pocket behind the striker. On the wings, I can explore myself as well. I’m comfortable in either of those positions but if I were to choose, behind the striker – but it all depends on the system.
‘I think I’m good in 1v1s. I’m composed in the box, so if I get chances, I can finish them off. I can hopefully help the team to win tough games – I’m great in tight spaces. I’m quite experienced as well, so I hope I can bring that to the team as well.’
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The Belgium international is ready to make his debut against Manchester United.
