Arsenal's £26m Trossard deal: A transfer that just makes sense

This is a key point. Trossard has arrived at a crucial juncture in the season but there will be no time needed to adjust to a new country or a new way of life, and he will not have to get up to speed with the intensity of the Premier League.

The hope is that he will settle in quickly and be able to make an immediate impact on the season as Arsenal go in hunt of the title.

January is always a difficult month when it comes to integrating new arrivals into a squad, especially if they have been brought in from clubs outside England.

So, the fact that Trossard knows exactly what to expect from the Premier League and the teams and defenders he will be facing, will be a major plus for Mikel Arteta.

Another big plus is that Trossard has shown during his time at Brighton that he can more than handle himself at the top level.

He’s not just coming in as someone who knows what the Premier League is about, he’s coming in as an attacker who has proven himself against the very best in this country.

He scored eight goals in 32 starts for Brighton last campaign and has already found the net seven times in just 16 appearances this season.

He has scored a hat-trick at Anfield and was also on target at the Etihad, while last season he scored against Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham. So, we know that he can produce against the top teams.

In fact, of his 25 league goals since arriving in England, 13 have come against the so called 'Big Six', which proves he can be a player for the big occasion.

Trossard's favoured role is on the left side of the attack, but he can operate on the right as well as he is very comfortable playing with both feet.

He can also operate centrally, behind the forward or even as a false nine.

That versatility will be a major plus for Arteta as it will provide him with much-needed cover across his forward line.

Whoever arrived this month, even if it had been Mudryk for a potential club record fee, it was highly unlikely that they would be coming in as a guaranteed starter.

No-one was going to knock Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka out of the side. The key thing for Arsenal was bringing in someone who could come in and provide cover for those two wingers and would allow Arteta to rest them without seeing the level of the team drop too drastically.

Trossard’s arrival certainly does that and it also coincides with Emile Smith Rowe’s return to fitness. With those two players fit and ready, Arteta’s options suddenly look an awful lot stronger.

We all know Trossard wasn’t first choice for Arsenal this window, but his arrival certainly can’t be considered a panic buy.

He will cost an initial £21m ($26m), with another £5m ($6m) to be paid in add-ons further down the line.

That’s a good price for a proven Premier League player who only turned 28 last month and is around £50m ($60m) less than what Arsenal were potentially going to spend on Mudryk.

That money will remain in the transfer kitty and can now be spent elsewhere, such as the £20m which is now being splashed out to sign Jakub Kiwior from Spezia.

Or in the summer, when they are expected to push for West Ham captain Declan Rice amongst others.

There are a lot of similarities about how Arsenal and Brighton play.

Both are high-tempo teams who like to press from the front, so Trossard should not have any issues adjusting to what will be demanded of him at Arsenal.

So far this season he has won possession in the final third 20 times at an average of 1.4 per 90 minutes. That sees him rank sixth in the Premier League.

That’s exactly the kind of work-rate that Arteta asks of his forwards and it’s the type of high-energy football that has been the hallmark of Arsenal’s play so far this season.

Technically, Trossard is excellent and he can play with either foot, which is something that should see him slot into Arsenal’s fluent style relatively comfortably. 

All things considered, this is a deal that just makes sense.