Brighton tell Arsenal-bound Trossard: We don’t need you!

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 20 Jan 2023 12:03 GMT
• 3 min read

Leandro Trossard has been told by Brighton team-mate Adam Lallana that the Seagulls don’t need him ahead of the Belgium international’s move to Arsenal.

Trossard is set to move to the Emirates Stadium imminently, with a total transfer fee of £27 million agreed between the Premier League leaders and their rivals. Around £20-21m is expected to be an up-front cost.

Although the 28-year-old has scored seven goals in 16 Premier League outings for Roberto De Zerbi’s in-form side, his Brighton team-mates are evidently not concerned about losing him.

MORE: How Arsenal could line up with Trossard

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Lallana said: “You only need to look at the last three games without him, I think it’s been 5-1, 4-1 and 3-0. So as I said to you earlier, players can leave Brighton but we’ve got enough without them.

“We had enough without [Yves] Bissouma, [Marc] Cucurella, Ben White, Dan Burn, when Neal [Maupay] moved on. So if Leo moves on we’ll cope. We’re coping already.”

EXCLUSIVE: 'Unthinkable Arsenal will pay Barcelona's Raphinha asking price'

What was Trossard’s Brighton fall out about?

Trossard’s departure from Brighton has not been without controversy. Prior to the Arsenal transfer becoming a likelihood, De Zerbi had frozen him out of his squad following a training ground incidence, which was described as “humiliating” by agent Jost Comhair.

“After the World Cup there was an altercation at training between Leandro and another player over an inanity,” Jost Comhair explained. “Since then, the trainer has not spoken to Leandro, which is obviously not conducive to the atmosphere, as well as performance-wise.

“Leandro still was a first-eleven player against Southampton and Arsenal but against Everton he was on the bench.

“Last Monday, the manager [De Zerbi] humiliated Leandro in [the] group and indicated that he no longer wanted to see him. A manager who has not communicated directly with his player for four weeks is really incomprehensible.”

FootballTransfers understands, meanwhile, that there were numerous Premier League clubs frustrated with Trossard’s agent over their constant links to the player, which they believed to be overstated.