Mikel Arteta effectively confirms Arsenal forward’s new contract | OneFootball

In the absence of any official announcement, Mikel Arteta effectively confirmed reports of Leandro Trossard’s new Arsenal contract on Friday.

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Reports earlier this week revealed that Leandro Trossard had signed a new contract with Arsenal, boosting his salary but maintaining his deal’s current expiry date in 2027.

The deal was supposedly completed before Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Manchester United, in part due to specific contract rules.

A pay upgrade without a contract extension is only possible until the season gets underway. Once Arsenal played United, Trossard could only have signed a new deal if it included a minimum of one additional year.

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A week later, Arsenal still haven’t announced anything about the new contract.

Though Mikel Arteta initially refused to make the announcement himself, he then effectively did confirm the agreement in his comments during Friday’s press conference.

“I prefer not to because it’s not my duty,” Arteta began, but added: “I’m really, really happy with Leo. That situation has been resolved in a really great way and I think he deserves our recognition. We are really happy to have him.

“Leo was very clear from the beginning that he wanted to be here. The club was very clear they wanted Leo here, I was very clear that I wanted him here. At the end, a good outcome.”

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Those comments certainly don’t make it sound like it’s still an ongoing negotiation. Perhaps Arsenal are unlikely to formally confirm Trossard’s new contract if he isn’t extending his stay, but there’s little doubt the deal is done.

With the injury to Kai Havertz, Trossard is likely to play minutes as a centre-forward over the coming weeks. The Gunners have Gabriel Martinelli and new signing Noni Madueke as options on the left at the moment, and Reiss Nelson is still available for now as well.