Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Edu lauded as Arsenal told three reasons why they’ve made Chelsea look silly with January transfer

Edu Gaspar of Arsenal

Arsenal sporting director Edu has received praise from a pundit for moving on from Mykhaylo Mudryk so quickly and landing Leandro Trossard instead.

Mudryk was Arsenal’s main target before the January transfer window even began. They were in dialogue with Shakhtar Donetsk over the winger’s potential transfer fee.

Arsenal made several bids for Mudryk but eventually reached their limit. And this allowed Chelsea to take him to Stamford Bridge instead.

The Blues agreed to pay Shakhtar a total package worth €100million (£89m) for Mudryk. This was made up of an initial £62m payment, plus an extra £27m in add-ons.

Following confirmation of Mudryk’s switch to Chelsea, Arsenal moved quickly to bring in an alternative. They captured Belgian star Trossard from Brighton on a contract running until June 2027. According to BBC Sport, the deal is worth £21m plus bonuses.

Mudryk and Trossard have both made one appearance for their respective new teams. Mudryk impressed during a substitute appearance against Liverpool, while Trossard helped to set up Arsenal’s winner during the recent 3-2 victory over Manchester United.

Pundit Noel Whelan has now sung the praises of Edu and Arsenal for dealing with the Mudryk disappointment so well and getting Trossard instead.

He thinks the Brighton raid is a brilliant move from Arsenal as Trossard will go straight into the team, has the potential to improve under Mikel Arteta and cost far less than Mudryk.

Leandro Trossard fits straight in at Arsenal – pundit

“He [Trossard] fits straight into their jigsaw,” Whelan said during an interview with Football Insider.

“There’s nothing you need to change when you bring him in. He fits into their style of play, and he’s the type of player who can get better in a team like Arsenal.

“He’s shown fantastic form, and you look at that transfer fee – it’s a snip.

“Mudryk has gone to Chelsea for big money, and they’re getting a more Premier League-ready player for almost a quarter of that.

“It’s great business from Arsenal – he can help them win this title.”

Arsenal will be frustrated about Chelsea’s huge spending and the fact they managed to take Mudryk to west London. After all, the Ukrainian is one of the highest rated young wingers in Europe.

However, Trossard is a great alternative, as Whelan says. He has Premier League experience and should be able to slot straight in on the left flank.

The 28-year-old is versatile, too. At Brighton, he moved from left wing to a false nine role when required. So if Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are both unavailable, Arteta could rely on him in a central position.

After making his debut against Man Utd, Trossard will be hoping to get more game time for Arsenal in their next match. They play Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday evening. After that, the Gunners travel to Everton in the Premier League on February 4.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will come up against local rivals Fulham on February 3.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are primed to complete a huge signing after a top-quality player rejected Real Madrid’s advances for them.