Arsenal have several players capable of playing as a central striker, but none of them have the goalscoring ability of Erling Haaland.
Mikel Arteta has been linked with several attackers despite the incredible form of Kai Havertz, but even the German does not yet possess the record of Manchester City’s goal machine.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus have also been used as number nines in recent months, but the latter has struggled to find his confidence in front of goal.
However, Trossard proved to be clutch towards the end of last season, with the Belgian popping up with some big goals.
There have been question marks over Trossard’s overall performances when deployed on the wings, but he has recently thrived in midfield whilst Martin Odegaard has been absent with injury.
However, Trossard’s true goalscoring potential may not have been unlocked yet, and he has claimed that he is capable of more inside the penalty area.
Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard of Arsenal celebrate victory following the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City FC at Emirat…
Leandro Trossard makes huge Arsenal goal claim
In an interview with Arsenal club media, Trossard revealed that when he made the switch from a number 10 role to a striker at youth level, he exploded in front of goal.
“Those days in the youth teams were so nice. It’s more about playing with your friends, and we won the league a lot of times when I was in the youth clubs. It was a really nice period. It’s more about having fun so it was an enjoyable time,” he explained.
“I started off as a number 10, then a striker – I scored a lot of goals! I started most of the time as a number 10, then when I was 13 or 14 the coaches saw I was quite good at scoring goals, so I went up front, and from those years I would often score about 50 or 60 goals a season.”
Should Mikel Arteta deploy Leandro Trossard as a striker?
Trossard is one of the best finishers at the club, and he has scored 20 goals in 77 games, playing in a variety of positions since arriving at Arsenal in January 2023.
Whilst he sometimes lacks explosive speed on the wing, there is no question that Trossard is better centrally, whether as a midfielder or a number nine.
When playing alongside Havertz, the two often switch roles, with the German dropping deeper in build-up play, but Arteta must not deviate from starting the 25-year-old upfront.
When Havertz is unavailable, and as a substitute, Trossard can certainly provide more goal threat as a striker than Jesus, but the Brazilian may still be preferred for his ability to hold the ball up and cause chaos despite his lack of goals.
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