Arsenal are set to welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night in a London derby that will put Mykhaylo Mudryk and Leandro Trossard firmly under the spotlight.
The January transfer window doled out several surprises, with long-term Arsenal target Mudryk completing a €100 million move to their local rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners had spent months negotiating a transfer fee with Shakhtar Donetsk while Mikel Arteta was in constant communication with the player, only for the Blues to swoop in at the last minute with an offer the Ukrainians deemed too good to turn down.
The north Londoners remained undeterred by the setback and responded by shelling out £27m to snap up Leandro Trossard from Brighton & Hove Albion.
With the 2022/23 campaign in the home stretch, Arsenal had the last laugh in the transfer battle, with Mudryk finding it hard to adapt to Premier League football.
The 22-year-old caught the eye on his debut against Liverpool, dazzling with his speed, agility and incisive passing in a cameo appearance.
However, his performances since have been appalling, and the Ukrainian has failed to justify his enormous transfer fee with confidence at an all-time low.
Mudryk has just two assists in 11 Premier League appearances for the Blues and has started just one of his last five games with no guarantees of a place in Frank Lampard’s starting XI on Tuesday.
By contrast, Trossard has played a huge role in Arsenal’s push for their first Premier League title in two decades, bagging one goal and eight assists since making his debut against Manchester United.
Although the 28-year-old has started Arsenal’s last four games on the bench, his presence on the pitch has proven a good omen for the Gunners, who have won maximum points in each of Trossard’s previous seven starts.
The Belgian has made Arsenal’s investment in his services look like a bargain, with his performances warranting a place in Arteta’s starting line-up in the crunch midweek encounter, especially with the Gunners faltering in the title race.
Trossard could provide that spark of brilliance Arsenal need to pull through, leaving Arteta with a big call to make regarding what his team will look like on Tuesday.
Mudryk’s move to Chelsea worked the Gunners supporters into a frenzy, but Trossard’s performances have since eased the blow, with the Gunners now looking like they won the transfer battle.
The Ukranian may once again have to settle for a place on the bench in the London derby but will feel he has a point to prove if Lampard requires his presence on the pitch.
