Andrea Berta £25m Arsenal transfer gamble pays off as Mikel Arteta reaps rewards

Leandro Trossard was the subject of transfer interest during the summer window and the Belgium international has more than proved his worth in recent weeks

Even though Arsenal failed to leave the Stadium of Light with all three points, the stalemate with Sunderland did offer one piece of good news for the Gunners. A 2-2 draw will not have been what Mikel Arteta and Co. would have wanted, but one player in particular did send a clear message after a summer of uncertainty.

Leandro Trossard put Arsenal in front against Sunderland after Bukayo Saka's goal cancelled out an opening strike from Daniel Ballard for the Black Cats. Brian Brobbey went on to equalise for the home side to see the Gunners be forced to settle for a draw on their trip to the North East.

Until the final minutes of the game, it seemed that Trossard had scored a crucial winning goal for Arsenal. It was only in the summer that the Belgium international was linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium.

There were suggestions of a move to Saudi Arabia being on the cards, with reports that Al-Ittihad wanted to offer €5million (£4.4million) to sign Trossard on loan with a further €25million (£22million) to make the move permanent with an obligation to buy.

Arsenal were reported to have swiftly rejected the bid, with Trossard signing a new contract with the Gunners just a few weeks earlier. The fresh terms did not extend Trossard's deal, with his contract still running until the summer of 2027.

Of course, it's unknown what Arsenal would have done in the transfer market had they decided to cash in on Trossard in the summer. New sporting director Andrea Berta handled the negotiations for the eight summer signings, and would have been tasked with looking for a replacement, had the club signed off on such a decision.

Trossard addressed the speculation only last month, where the Arsenal forward spoke about the rumours of a potential move away from the Gunners being on the cards.

"There are always rumours like that. Leaving was never really an option. I feel very good at Arsenal," Trossard said while on international duty with Belgium last month.

"At the beginning of the season I struggled a bit with an injury. I think those rumours were there because of the lack of minutes. I've been playing a lot the last few weeks, doing my thing and I feel good about that."

It remains to be seen how long Trossard will remain an Arsenal player, but as long as he keeps on scoring important goals in a title race, Arteta and the club will certainly want to keep the 30-year-old at the club.

Many could argue that it was a gamble by Arsenal not to sell Trossard with potentially £26million on the table for a player who will turn 31 next month.

But, as evidenced by the goal and performance on Saturday night, goals in a title race will always be more valuable than money, and the gamble to keep Trossard in North London looks to have already begun to pay off.