He won the English Premier League title with Arsenal and reached the Champions League final, but now Leandro Trossard is turning his back on the Gunners and embarking on a new adventure in Turkey with Besiktas Istanbul.
Leandro Trossard, who still had a contract in London valid through 2027, has signed a three-year deal and is expected to fill the vacant left-wing position at Besiktas, which coach Vincenzo Italiano has identified as a weak spot.
Besiktas had already agreed with Arsenal on a transfer fee totaling 18 million euros, including bonuses. As the Turkish club announced on Wednesday evening, the transfer fee will be paid in six equal installments. However, negotiations with the player were still pending. Those negotiations have now been finalized, and Trossard has signed a contract through 2029 with an option for an additional year. And it’s a lucrative deal: Besiktas announced that Trossard will earn a guaranteed sum of 6.5 million euros per contract year.
Successful in London
Trossard has played for Arsenal FC since January 2023, making 174 appearances for the Gunners (36 goals) during that time. He finished as runner-up three times before finally clinching the league title with the London club last season.
In the 2025–26 season, the Belgian was one of the key players under coach Mikel Arteta, appearing in a total of 50 competitive matches and recording eight goals and eleven assists. However, they fell short of the ultimate prize—the Champions League title—as the English side lost to Paris Saint-Germain 3–4 in a penalty shootout in the final.
Trossard most recently represented Belgium at the World Cup in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada—reaching the quarterfinals, where the Red Devils’ run ultimately came to an end with a 1–2 loss to Spain. The 31-year-old, meanwhile, had an outstanding World Cup, earning an average rating of 2.75. In North America, he shone with two goals in the 5–1 victory over New Zealand in the group stage, an assist in the 3–2 win against Senegal in the round of 32, and another assist in the explosive round of 16 match against the U.S. (4–1), which was completely overshadowed by the Folarin Balogun controversy and his suspended red-card suspension.
