£51m Arsenal transfer target could be bad news for Leandro Trossard

Leandro Trossard has everything going for him right now. It is like everything the Belgian touches, turns into gold. Given his conistent run of game-time, the Belgian is returning every favour to Mikel Arteta by consistently being on the scoresheet.

At this point in time, it would seem like Leandro Trossard is irreplaceable in the starting eleven. However, as proven by Mikel Arteta ruthlessly over the last few seasons, there are always routes to improving the squad regardless of the sentimentality attached to certain players.

That said, as we look ahead to the summer transfer window, it is pivotal to view Arsenal transfer targets through the lens of which current players they could replace. Unfortunately for Leandro Trossard, there is one player who Arsenal could bring in who may render him to the bench once again.

According to a report from Express, the Arsenal transfer pursuit of Xavi Simons which is expected to occur this summer could be bad news for some Arsenal players. As expected, the Dutch star is not being targeted to sit on the bench but instead, take up the position of one Arsenal player. Express have indicated that Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard are the most at risk.

Of those three players, I cannot help but feel like Trossard is the bottom of the bunch. Martin Odegaard is the captain and he is one of the best midfielders in the world right now. Furthermore, Kai Havertz was only signed last summer and it's clear that Mikel Arteta values him as the striker going forward.

Leandro Trossard is the most at risk, in my opinion. As a player who is versatile enough to play across the front-line, this could actually jeopardise Trossard. After all, other players have their position on lock-down, but Trossard does not. This is personified by his constant battle for gametime with Gabriel Martinelli.

It works in Trossard's favour that Xavi Simons primarily operates as a central midfielder or second striker. This is not the position taken up by Trossard but instead by Odegaard. As mentioned, though, Odegaard is one of Arsenal's most important players, so it seems likely that Simons could be adopted as the left-wing.

It is important to mention, though, that nobody can truly predict Mikel Arteta's tactical vision. Part of the reason why he is emerging as one of the world's best coaches is that he thinks outside the box. Therefore, the effect of Xavi Simons cannot be truly known until he is signed, if that's his fate.

Where do you think Xavi Simons would fit in at Arsenal?