Adrian Kajumba highlights Leandro Trossard's growing importance ahead of tonight's London derby against Chelsea.
Leandro Trossard's first-half goal laid the foundation for Saturday's win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, sending Arsenal back to the top of the table, and the Belgian could now be set for a notable night against Chelsea.
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If Trossard starts it will be just the second time he has done so in three successive Premier League matches this season.
The Belgian winger insisted this week he is equally capable when he is a starter as when he is a substitute, and he made his point at Molineux.
It is understandable why Mikel Arteta has used Trossard off the bench more often than starting him in the Premier League this season, giving him 16 substitute appearances compared with 13 starts, due to his ability to impact a match as a sub.
Arteta’s "little magician" and second most-used substitute is the club's joint-second goalscorer, with a career-best nine Premier League goals this season, and he has averaged a league goal every 86 minutes as a sub compared with 189 when he starts.
However, Trossard made his case to retain his place as he broke the deadlock against Wolves, especially given that his main rival for the spot on the left wing, Gabriel Martinelli, is without a goal contribution since Arsenal’s 6-0 win at Sheffield United.
Why Trossard is making an impact
Trossard is now more involved closer to goal, with his touches in the box rising from an average of 4.2 per 90 minutes last season to 6.7 this campaign.
He has also flipped his output around from one goal and 10 assists last season to nine goals and one assist so far this term.
Perhaps most notably, when it comes to minutes per goal in all competitions without penalties, he is the Gunners' top man, scoring every 136 minutes.
Mins per goal at Arsenal in all comps 23/24*
| Player | Mins | Goals* | Mins/goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leandro Trossard | 1,901 | 14 | 136 |
| Bukayo Saka | 3,522 | 13 | 271 |
| Martin Odegaard | 3,599 | 9 | 400 |
| Kai Havertz | 3,394 | 9 | 377 |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 2,472 | 8 | 309 |
| Gabriel Jesus | 1,868 | 8 | 234 |
Indeed, Trossard is the third-best among all Premier League players for this statistic.
Mins per goal for PL players in all comps 23/24*
| Player | Minutes | Goals | Mins/goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diogo Jota | 1,710 | 15 | 114 |
| Erling Haaland | 3,281 | 25 | 131 |
| Leandro Trossard | 1,901 | 14 | 136 |
| Chris Wood | 1,847 | 13 | 142 |
| Ollie Watkins | 3,800 | 26 | 146 |
*excluding penalties
Could a longer-term change to his starting status now follow too?
