Mikel Arteta believes that new signing Leandro Trossard has the capability to make an instant impression on his side, which could begin as soon as Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United.
The Belgium international winger arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Mikel hopes that he will be available to play against the Red Devils should he be needed.
Given he is now in his fourth season in the Premier League with 116 appearances to his name, the boss admits he is a signing he hopes can quickly hit the ground running, and one he has had his eye on for a while.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against United, he said: “We are really happy to have him. He’s a player we have followed for a while now. The opportunity came - we had the necessity to have a player in the frontline who is versatile enough to play in different positions.
“He knows the league, he has enough experience here and I think he can have an immediate impact in the team. We have to think short-term, but medium and long-term as well. He gives us all of that. He’s a very intelligent player. When you look at his career and what he’s done in the last few years, he’s a player that fits our way of playing.”
Mikel also admits that the recent injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson have reduced our option in attack significantly, but even before those setbacks he had been trying to add another creative threat to his frontline.
Now Leandro has been secured, the boss is delighted to have acquired someone who boasts impressive technical qualities, as well as the ability to play in a multitude of positions.
“In the summer we were looking for a player in that position and we weren’t able to do it, so it’s something that the squad needed,” Mikel added. “With the injuries to Gabi and Reiss we’re really short in the frontline. We needed some reinforcements and in Leo, we’ve found a player who fits everything that we want.
“I think specificity is really necessary to our way of playing. It's true that we need a few players who can fulfil certain positions and Leo is is one of them. The skill and composure he has in the final third and the technical ability to associate and link with people, it's impressive. That's what we need from our forward players.”
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