Despite dropping points at the Stadium of Light, Arsenal supporters are understandably feeling pretty good overall.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and then Leandro Trossard turned the game around on Saturday night as the Gunners looked to pick up all three points on Wearside, but Sunderland equalized in the 94th minute.
Earlier, Mikel Arteta’s side had won 10 games in all competitions and kept eight consecutive clean sheets, equaling the club record set in 1903. So we head into a big week with games against Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea with a four-point lead over a rather ominous Manchester City side.
Still, in hindsight, it is remarkable that Arsenal were able to string together so many wins, given that they are currently without six attackers.
Four of the sidelined forwards are expected to be back in time for the North London derby, but which of the six will want to dislodge the Gunners’ most productive attacker?
Leandro Trossard’s standings at Arsenal this season
Over the summer, if reports are to be believed, a number of clubs were interested in signing Trossard, Aston Villa, Brentford and Fenerbahce, to name just a few, and many Gooners thought they needed an upgrade and now was the time to sign the 30-year-old.
Well, Arteta certainly did not agree and even gave the Belgian a pay rise, but this decision was justified given that Trossard currently leads Arsenal in terms of total goals and assists this season, as the table below shows.
Arsenal – Goals and assists 25/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
player | the goal | assist |
Victor Gokeres | 6 | 0 |
Bukayo Saka | 6 | 0 |
Leandro Trossard | 4 | 4 |
Gabriel Martinelli | 4 | 1 |
Mikel Merino | 3 | 1 |
Declan Rice | 2 | 5 |
wood jury | 2 | 2 |
Gabriel | 2 | 3 |
Martin Zvimendi | 2 | 1 |
god bless you | 2 | 3 |
Riccardo Calafioli | 1 | 2 |
Ethan Nwaneri | 1 | 0 |
Miles Lewis-Skelly | 0 | 3 |
Martin Odegaard | 0 | 2 |
William Saliba | 0 | 1 |
Max Dauman | 0 | 1 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt | ||
As the table shows, Trossard ranks first at Arsenal with a total of eight goals and assists.
All four of his goals so far have come away at Athletic Club, Port Vale and Fulham (I bet those three clubs have never been on the list together before!) until this rocket that put them ahead at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night.
Trossard therefore remains a key figure in this team and is almost certain to start against Spurs after the international break, but he may be introduced as a substitute again as the season progresses.
Similarly, in the longer term, although there has been a significant wage increase, his contract has not actually been extended, with his current contract still set to expire in the summer of 2027, leaving doubts as to whether he will still be under contract beyond next summer.
The former Brighton star, who is due to turn 31 next month, is almost certainly closer to the end of his journey at the Emirates than the beginning, and there are already candidates for his replacement.
Arsenal attacker aiming for Trossard’s spot
As we have already hinted, the Gunners are currently without six attackers, which is why Arteta has had to go back to Mikel Merino, who was up front for Prague and Wearside last week.
There is optimism that Gabriel Martinelli, Victor Gokeres, Martin Odegaard and Noni Maduke could all feature in the North London derby, with the return of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus likely to be a few more weeks away.
But it is Madueke who most supporters are most looking forward to seeing playing again.
The 22-year-old’s controversial £52m move from Chelsea this summer had nothing to do with him personally, but in part it was due to his vocal online supporters simply being fed up with signing Chelsea’s released players, to put it diplomatically.
Despite this, Maduke, who is said to be earning £150,000 a week, quickly proved his worth by starting on the left in the second Premier League game of the season against Leeds.
However, Saka was injured during that match, and Maduke was substituted on the right wing for the next four games before suffering a knee injury against Manchester City on the day Saka made his timely return.
Of course, with Man City leading 1-0 at half-time, everyone was happy to see Saka brought on, but given Maduke’s sharpness in the first 45 minutes, there was some confusion at Maduke’s substitution, but generally the fans in the stadium were still unaware that this was a forced substitution due to injury.
Maduke has played just 396 minutes for Arsenal in total, which is about the time it takes to fly from London to Lagos, which is no small amount of time, giving the impression that what we’ve seen so far is just an entertainment of what’s to come.
Upon his arrival, Arteta declared the “exciting and powerful” 23-year-old to be “one of the most talented wide forwards in the Premier League” and had shown glimpses of his potential even before his injury.
Meanwhile, back in September, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker exclaimed: “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka” after Maduke, who also stands in for his club team-mate at international level, scored his first goal for England in a 5-0 win over Serbia at the Stadion Rajko Mitic.
That’s clearly a bold claim, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned during Arteta’s six-year reign, it’s that if Saka is healthy and available, he will play.
It is therefore unrealistic to suggest that Madueke could displace the Gunners’ joint top scorer on the right wing, but the left wing is very much up for grabs.
Martinelli and Ebelesi Eze have started there at various points this season, further underscoring that Trossard is the current tenant and that the position is up for grabs.
Madueke’s electric dribbling and explosive speed will add another dimension to the Gunners’ attack and be a valuable asset, with games against Spurs, Bayern Munich and former team Chelsea next up. There are hints that Trossard could be permanently relegated to a super-sub role, with the left-wing spot his own.
