Sagna started his career at Auxerre, with his performances earning him a move to Arsene Wengers’ squad in 2007, for £7 million.
The French international transferred to rivals Manchester City in 2014, and he has recently commented on the recent ingoings and outgoings at Arsenal to Premier League Odds.
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Trossard is the perfect backup to Martinelli
Sagna defended his previous club’s transfer negotiations which resulted in the Gunners missing out on Mykhalio Mudryk to their rivals at Stamford Bridge.
“Arsenal won't regret not signing Mykhailo Mudryk, he would have put Gabriel Martinelli under pressure but so can Leandro Trossard”.
The Belgian may feature more sporadically and may have to bide his time in order to get a good run of games, but has imposed some pressure onto the position as he started in front of the Brazilian against Aston Villa and Manchester City in the FA Cup.
However, Martinelli has recently found his form after being dropped, as he scored after coming off the bench in Arsenal's 4-2 win against the Villains last weekend.
The former Brighton player hasn't exactly ripped up the Premier League since signing for Arsenal, but he's already shown to be a wise signing for the club, who are pushing for the trophy, given his £27 million price tag.
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Mudryk will shine in England
Sagna also compared the two players, saying that: “I have followed Mudryk for a long time, he will be shining in England and is a big prospect, but Trossard is the perfect backup as Mudryk was too expensive.”
After a big-money move to Chelsea, the Ukrainian has struggled to impress under Graham Potter, with the 22-year-old failing to produce a goal or an assist in his first five games.
Failing to become a solid starter in the starting eleven after struggling for consistency and form, the winger’s place has been taken by similar January signing Noni Madueke, after coming off the bench to feature for only 25 minutes in the Blues’ recent loss to Southampton.
In comparison, Trossard scored his first goal for Arsenal in their 1-1 draw with Brentford and has had a strong effect since making his debut in the 3-2 triumph against Manchester United. The Belgian has had more shot-creating activities and beats the Ukrainian to Shots on target, big chances, and racks up a higher xG per 90.
Coming off the back of a stressful transfer saga, which has imposed outrageous expectations on the player, and a manager that cannot fit the pieces in the Chelsea starting eleven puzzle, Mudryk should blossom into the player he was known for when he played for Shakhtar Donetsk and should not be written off after a few out of form games.
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'Balogun will return'
Sagna also commented on Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun, who is currently out on loan at Ligue 1 team Reims.
Even though the French team are sitting tenth in the league, the English youth prospect is the joint top scorer, matched with the likes of PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Lille’s Jonathan David on 15 goals.
The Arsenal loanee is highly sought-after following his breakout at the senior level, having previously been loaned out to Middlesborough and only scoring three goals in twenty-one appearances.
Bacary Sagna supports the idea of Balogun returning to his parent club, in order to bolster Arsenal’s attacking threats, linking up with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah.
“Arsenal will be delighted to have him back, he can be an excellent addition to the squad. It's a blessing to have three young strikers and it's a good problem to have.”
Sagna further believes that Arsenal should remain hopeful with Balogun as he compares the breakout talents of cemented centre-back William Saliba.
“Look at how William Saliba turned out, he played at Marseille and was the best defender in the Ligue 1. Balogun is doing perfectly while not playing for the best team in that league, which shows how good his finishing is.”
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