From on-field action to off-field transactions, Arsenal is doing a lot of things really well right now.

The club, which was hovering around midtable mediocrity a few years ago, has undergone a full makeover thanks in large part to Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar. Today, the team is vying for major honours on every front.

 

But the Gunners, like all great clubs, have had their fair share of ex-players depart, one of whom left shortly before Arteta arrived and is presently outscoring Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka.

 

The contemporary form of Saka and Trossard

Due to injuries sustained by club captain and chief creative Martin Odegaard, Arsenal has had a difficult start to the season. The team has away games against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Aston Villa. Still, the Gunners are playing brilliantly, and Saka and Trossard are both outstanding.

 

With the Norwegian out of the picture, the North Londoner’s magical number seven has assumed captaincy responsibilities. Thus far, he has shown no signs of faltering under the extra pressure, amassing two goals and five assists in just nine appearances, or an average of one goal every 1.28 games.

 

Although the Belgian international hasn’t had the same impact as the Englishman, he has nevertheless stepped up in the wake of Odegaard’s injury. In his eight appearances to date, he has assisted once and scored twice, for an acceptable average of one goal every 2.66 games.

 

Overall, both Saka and Trossard have once again shown why they are critical members of this title-chasing Arsenal side this season, yet neither one has scored as many goals as a former Gunner who left the club five years ago.

 

Danny Welbeck’s form this season

Yes, the former Arsenal player in question is none other than Danny Welbeck, who may not have hit the heights some were hoping he would in North London but nonetheless remains a popular figure among the fans.

The Englishman joined the Gunners for around £16m in September 2014 from traditional rivals Manchester United, and hile he certainly showed glimpses of quality for the North Londoners, including that goal against his old club, injuries ruined his chance to establish himself as one of the most important players in the team.

For example, while Rio Ferdinand dubbed him a “top signing,” the Manchester-born poacher made just 126 appearances for the first team in five years, scoring 32 goals, providing 13 assists, and missing a whopping 153 games for club and country.

He moved to Watford on a free in August 2019, where he spent one season before joining Brighton & Hove Albion in October 2020, where he is still plying his trade today, and doing it well.

 

For example, in just seven appearances for the Seagulls this season, the 33-year-old has scored three goals, provided one assist and generally looked like a brilliant top-flight striker again.

Ultimately, letting Welbeck leave on a free in 2019 was the best decision for all parties. It got him off the books at Arsenal and gave him the chance to rebuild his career, and so long as he stops scoring against the Gunners, he’ll likely remain a popular figure in N5.