Stephen Warnock has stated that he finds it concerning that Brighton and Hove Albion were ‘very quickly’ and ‘happily’ allowing Leandro Trossard to secure a transfer to Arsenal.
The former Premier League left-back added that it seems as though Roberto De Zerbi’s side were ‘happy to see the back of him’ following his January move.
Whilst Trossard is Brighton’s top-scorer in the Premier League this season with seven Premier League goals, fellow teammate Adam Lallana bullishly came out and said that they will be fine without him, as he noted some of their results, including their win over Liverpool.
Whilst Trossard served the Seagulls well during his time at the club, it ended on a pretty sour note, including the versatile forward missing training and having a falling out with the manager.
In the end, with the 28-year-old’s contract due to expire in the summer and Brighton able to extend that by 12 months, Arsenal came swooping in and secured his talents for £20 million, rising to a possible £27 million with add-ons (Sky Sports).
His debut, a cameo appearance during the win against Manchester United, was impressive, but Warnock raised questions about the player’s character, as he told The Football Show on Sky Sports.
“I think he becomes a bit-part player,” said Warnock. “The roles off the bench. The cameos. I think that will be his role.
“He’s not going to out Saka. He’s not going to out Martinelli. I don’t see it at form, at the moment, that he will be able to do that.
“My question with Trossard is that Brighton were very quickly and really happy to get rid of him. Yes, they got good money for him at the end of his contract.
“But when you listen to the interviews with De Zerbi and Adam Lallana when he left, they said ‘we will be fine without him. We have scored x amount of goals he hasn’t been involved in, it’s not going to be a problem’. It was almost like Brighton were happy to see the back of him. That would be my concern about him going to Arsenal. What’s his character like?”
TROSSARD A GEM OF A SIGNING
The last time Arsenal won the Premier League title, they had a certain Sylvain Wiltord on their books.
He wasn’t a regular starter, nor was he a key member of the XI, but he was as crucial as someone like Thierry Henry.
That might prove to be the case with Trossard, who for the first few weeks, will be coming off the bench and trying to change games.
If he can score those crucial goals or provide those game-changing moments, then he will become as important as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
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