Leandro Trossard Joins Besiktas from Arsenal
Leandro Trossard’s Arsenal chapter is over. The next one begins in Istanbul.
The Belgium international has completed a permanent move from Arsenal to Besiktas, sealing a transfer to the Turkish Super Lig side for a reported £15.3 million. At 31, a winger who has seen just about everything in English football now trades the Premier League spotlight for the intensity of one of Europe’s most feverish football cities.
This is not a youngster seeking a first break. Trossard arrived at Arsenal from Brighton in January 2023 as a ready-made attacker, a smart mid-season signing for a team chasing the top. He quickly became one of Mikel Arteta’s most adaptable forwards, able to operate across the front line, link play and unlock tight games with sharp movement and precise finishing.
The numbers tell their own story. Across all competitions, Trossard pulled on an Arsenal shirt 174 times, scoring 36 goals and supplying 34 assists. That output helped drive a side that finally climbed the mountain last season, ending more than two decades of waiting for a Premier League title. He was not always the headline act, but he was almost always in the frame – the extra pass, the clever run, the shot guided into the far corner.
His profile grew on the international stage as well. The winger featured for Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, adding another layer of experience to a career built on steady progression and big-game exposure.
Arsenal marked his departure with a note of appreciation, thanking “Leo” for his contribution and wishing him well in the next phase of his career. It was a neat, understated farewell for a player who arrived without fanfare and left with a medal and a solid legacy.
For Besiktas, this is a statement move: a proven Premier League champion, still sharp, still inventive, stepping into a league that thrives on flair and personality. For Trossard, it is a late-career pivot, from north London control to the chaos and colour of Istanbul.
He leaves Arsenal as a title winner. Now he walks into a new cauldron, with a fresh crowd waiting to see what a seasoned winger from the Premier League can still conjure.
