Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott (Picture: Getty)
Theo Walcott admitted that Leandro Trossard has proven him wrong this season as the Arsenal forward put in another accomplished display to help his side beat Inter 3-1 in the Champions League.
A brace from Gabriel Jesus saw the Gunners continue their perfect record in the Champions League with a hard-earned victory at the San Siro, which also guarantees Mikel Arteta’s side a top-two finish in the league phase.
Jesus diverted Jurrien Timber’s effort past Yann Sommer to give Arsenal the lead, but Inter drew level only eight minutes later through Petar Sucic’s well-hit strike.
But Jesus headed home from close range after Leandro Trossard kept a set-piece alive impressively at the back post to restore Arsenal’s lead before Viktor Gyokeres put the game to bed with a goal off the bench.
For Trossard, the assist marked the Belgian’s 14th goal involvement in 27 appearances in all competitions this season, continuing his fine form after a summer which saw his long-term Arsenal future called into doubt.
And Walcott insisted that Trossard’s form this season has ‘surprised’ him, with the former Arsenal winger also suggesting he was wrong to think he was a player Arteta should be trying to replace.
‘There were rumours of Leandro Trossard moving on, and Martinelli as well,’ Walcott told Amazon Prime.
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Leandro Trossard started for Arsenal in their 2-1 win over Inter (Picture: Getty)
The Belgian provided the assist for Gabriel Jesus’ second goal (Picture: Getty)
‘That was a position I thought was up for grabs but they have proved me wrong.
‘They’ve both really picked up their levels, they are both competing in a healthy environment as well. It’s been a kind of ‘I’ll score more than you’ but in a good way.
‘Leandro Trossard is the player I’ve really been impressed with because he’s different to everyone else they have got on that left-hand side.
Gabriel Jesus is back with a BANG 💥 He’s got a brace at the San Siro ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/611D2TKwcg— Prime Video Sport UK (@primevideosport) January 20, 2026
‘Martinelli has pace, and you can’t teach that, but Leandro picks up spaces, and what I really like about him is he’s so calm.
‘You’re not quite sure what you’re going to get from him, and he’s been so consisent and it’s really surprising.’
Asked about Trossard’s performances this season, former Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney said: ‘I think Trossard, as Theo said, has been excellent this season and he’s a difficult player to pick up.
Viktor Gyokeres scored off the bench (Picture: Getty)
‘He drifts into the number ten position, at times he stays out wide. He can use both feets and scores big goals, so I think he’s been excellent.’
Arsenal’s strength in depth was on show again, with Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Gyokeres all coming off the bench in the second half to see out the victory.
And speaking after the game, Arteta was pleased with how his entire squad chipped in, telling Amazon Prime: ‘Very proud of the team, obviously. We talked before the game that we needed a special performance, a very complete performance against a top side and we certainly done that tonight.
‘The lineup was about trying to be better than them and we knew that we would have to navigate through different stages of the game.
‘The way we manage the game, the way we control the game in a very good way and we knew that we were going to have to do that on the pitch and through the subs.’
Arsenal return to Premier League action at the weekend with the visit of Michael Carrick’s Manchester United.
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