With all of the talk surrounding new signings and the continued links to Lisandro Martinez, it’s easy to forget that Arsenal are yet to welcome a player they signed back in January.
That player is Auston Trusty, who has spent the last seven months in the MLS with Colorado Rapids. It was announced on deadline day that the 23-year-old had signed for the club, but would stay out on loan until at least May. There’s still no sign of the central defender, although that’s expected to change fairly soon.
It was confirmed that Trusty played his last home game for the Rapids on Monday and The Denver Post reports that his availability for their game next Saturday is “to be determined,” indicating a move could be imminent.
Confirming his signing at the time, Arsenal said that their ‘intention’ was to loan Trusty out in Europe for the upcoming 2022/23 season in order to continue his development, but it’s not known whether or not that plan is still in place.
The same has been said for Marquinhos, who arrived at the start of the window. The Brazilian is training with the first-team squad and is expected to have the opportunity to impress during pre-season, but a loan move still isn’t being ruled out.
Despite there being much uncertainty over his future, Trusty has a good chance of stamping down a place in the Arsenal squad further down the line if he works hard and improves as a player. He’s still very young and operates as a left-sided centre-back, a position which isn’t currently stacked with options.
Pablo Mari is expected to leave the club in the coming weeks, while Mikel Arteta is said to be keen on acquiring competition and support for Gabriel Magalhaes.
The aforementioned Martinez is thought to be an active target for both Arsenal and Manchester United, with the Gunners planning further talks regarding a possible move this week, according to The Athletic. It’s thought Arteta is an admirer of the player’s technical ability and versatility, which enables him to play as a centre-back, left-back and even defensive midfielder.
