Trossard leaves, and Arsenal have a hole to fill
Leandro Trossard is gone. Or very nearly. Besiktas have reached an agreement with Arsenal for the Belgian winger at €20m, with a contract worth roughly €7m per year waiting in Istanbul (1) (9) (10). More than a dozen outlets across Europe ran the story this week. It is not done until the ink dries, but it is done enough to plan around.
This is the move that kicks the summer window open. Trossard scored decisive goals in the title run, the kind of player who arrived in big moments with zero fanfare. He leaves as a cult hero, and the club now has a left-sided attacking slot to fill and €20m more to spend.
The Guimaraes bid tells you what Arteta wants
Arsenal lodged a £55m bid for Bruno Guimaraes. Newcastle rejected it and intend to open contract talks to ward off the interest (6) (13). The same reports say Arsenal will not "go away" easily.
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The priority is clear. Arteta wants a midfielder who breaks lines and carries the ball under pressure, someone closer to a tempo-setter than a pure destroyer. Guimaraes fits that profile, and the opening bid signals intent. Newcastle are in a tricky spot. No Champions League revenue, a player entering peak years, and a club that needs to sell before it buys. Arsenal know this. A second bid feels inevitable.
Seven Gunners in knockout action, one already through
William Saliba delivered the best individual performance of the week, marshalling France to a 1–0 win over Paraguay in the last 16 (2) (5). French media were glowing. There was a moment of recovery pace that killed a Paraguay break dead, the kind of sequence that loops endlessly on social media. Saliba is playing at a level where the conversation is no longer about how good he is. It is about how good everyone around him looks because of him.
Seven more Arsenal players are in action Sunday. Martin Ødegaard faces Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli when Norway meet Brazil, while Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze could all feature for England against Mexico (4) (17). That is club captain against two teammates in a World Cup knockout tie. You watch these games differently as an Arsenal fan.
What to watch
The Trossard sale should move fast now, and a replacement name will surface. Morgan Rogers has been discussed. So has Dario Osorio of Midtjylland (6) (10). But Rogers questioned his own £130m valuation this week (20), and Arteta was reportedly urged to look at a Spain international instead. Something concrete will leak soon. Until then, enjoy Saliba in a quarter-final and hope all seven Gunners come through Sunday's double-header in one piece.
