“He should have been starting a long time ago” - Shaun Wright-Phillips makes honest admission about Arsenal star
Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips reckons Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard should've become a regular starter for the club a long time ago.
Trossard has been in excellent form for the north London side, scoring four goals in his last five games, having started three of them. With striker Gabriel Jesus out injured, the Belgian forward has started their last two games, where the Gunners beat West Ham United 6-0 and Burnley 5-0.
After their win over Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League on February 17, Wright-Phillips heaped praise on Arsenal, saying (via HITC):
"You have to give credit where credit is due, the way they are playing, especially the chances they are creating and taking. The positive is that it just isn’t one person. The goals are coming from everywhere."
He reserved special praise for Trossard for his recent performances, saying:
"To see Trossard move, for me personally, he should have been starting a long time ago. To see him on the scoresheet, getting his goals in and creating chances as well. They are only moving forward at the right time.”
Trossard joined the Gunners from Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2023 for a reported fee of £27 million. While he has found a regular starting spot hard to come by, the Belgian has racked up 11 goals and 12 assists in 51 appearances for the club.
Mikel Arteta's side, meanwhile, are second in the Premier League standings, just two points behind Liverpool.
Martin Keown previews Arsenal's upcoming UCL clash against FC Porto
Former Gunners defender Martin Keown reckons his former side are in for a tough clash when they face Porto on Wednesday, February 21. The Portuguese side will host the north London side in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg clash.
Previewing the clash, Keown said (via Eurosport):
“In the Champions League, we were seeing some of Arsenal’s best performances of the season until recently.
“Porto away is a difficult game. Although they sometimes play 4-4-2 and I think it’s perfect for Arsenal to play through them. But I expect a really tough game for Arsenal, because Porto are in the Champions League virtually every season, year on year.
“Porto came second to Barcelona with the same number of points in the group, so there are experienced heads there. I'm just hoping that the confidence which exists with Arsenal right now takes them through.”
Mikel Arteta's side topped their Champions League group over PSV Eindhoven, RC Lens, and Sevilla, with four wins, one draw, and one defeat.
Meanwhile, Porto finished second in their group with Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Royal Antwerp, with four wins and two draws. They had the same points as leaders Barca but were behind on head-to-head.