Chris Waddle has urged Arsenal to look for a new left winger and said Leandro Trossard should be replaced, naming Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen as the players he would consider for the role. Waddle said Trossard is a dangerous player, but not really a winger, and argued that Arsenal need more on the left side.
The comments land now because Trossard only last weekend said he still has one year on his contract and hoped Arsenal would win the Champions League before next season. He also said the coming campaign could be another very nice season, a clear signal that he expects to stay at the Emirates despite the noise around his future.
That matters because Arsenal have already spent £27million on Trossard since Mikel Arteta signed him from Brighton in January 2023, and he has still delivered in key moments. He scored the winner against West Ham late in the title run-in last season, remained at the club despite exit links last summer and has again been a steady part of Arteta’s squad, even if his numbers this season — six league goals in 31 appearances — do not silence every debate about his best position.
Waddle’s view is blunt. He told Boyle Sports that Trossard “isn’t really a winger” and said he has been “converted into one,” adding that Arsenal should be “looking at another winger on the left-hand side.” He praised Trossard as dangerous, but drew a line under the idea that he is the long-term answer out wide.
He then pointed to Gordon as the more aggressive fit, saying the Newcastle United forward could do a job down the left, work hard and bring goals, while also mentioning Bowen as another option. Gordon is also being linked with Bayern Munich interest, while Bowen’s future has become a topic after West Ham were relegated on the final day, which gives Waddle’s suggestions a wider transfer-market edge.
There is still a gap between talk and action. Trossard says he wants another year at Arsenal, and his contract has one season left, but Waddle’s comments suggest the club may still be judged on whether it upgrades that flank rather than extends it. Whether Arsenal go after Gordon, Bowen or another name is the next question, and it will tell plenty about how much faith they place in a player who has already delivered when it mattered most.
