Arsenal are primed for a busy summer as Mikel Arteta’s side make their return to the Champions League after a six-year hiatus.
Arteta - working with Arsenal's sporting director Edu - has skillfully exploited the transfer market to turn the Gunners back into Premier League title contenders, with eyes will be firmly set on bringing silverware back to the Emirates Stadium. And while Arsenal will look to repeat successful signings such as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, exits are also on the horizon for several players as Arteta continues to rebuild his squad.
One player who looks set to wave goodbye to north London without ever having pulled on an Arsenal shirt is Auston Trusty, the USA defender who has spent the season out on loan at Birmingham City.
Trusty, 24, signed for Arsenal in January 2022 after an impressive debut campaign with Colorado Rapids, who are also owned by Stan Kroenke, the Gunners owner. The move was part of a plan by the American billionaires to create a clear pathway between their franchises and expand Arsenal’s scouting operations in North America.
“I just put every other team to one side and focused on them,” Trusty told GOAL about the role Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and his company played in the transfer. “I’m sure it definitely helped that the Kroenkes were there.
“If there is that relationship there you definitely want to take advantage of it, if that makes things smoother. It’s a business deal, so there is a lot of friction that goes on. If you can limit the amount of friction, then why not.”
Trusty was loaned back to Colorado to continue playing in MLS last year, making his final appearance in July before linking up with Birmingham. The centre-back became a fan favourite with the Championship club, crowned as the supporters’ player of the season last week.
“It couldn’t have gone better,” Trusty told BirminghamLive. “Obviously if we had done better in the table and better in the season, that would have put the icing on the cake, but to have this year with Birmingham City, with the team, with the fans and the whole organisation.
“It’s my first year over here in Europe and first time on loan, but I didn’t come here thinking this is just for a season, I came here thinking I want to make my mark on an organisation. I came here and I’m thankful that I have been perceived this way by the fans. It’s been really, really awesome.”
Birmingham have made no secret of their desire to hold onto the recently-capped USA international but an excellent season in the Championship means that other suitors are primed to come forward. Rangers are interested in a £2million deal for Trusty as Michael Beale looks to put his own stamp on his Ibrox squad ahead of a tilt at Champions League football next season.
Trusty himself has already outlined his wish to play in the Premier League, saying: “As a player you want to play with the best, wherever that is. Right now the Prem is probably the best league in the world so that is obviously the goal for myself and my future.”
He could have a number of options when it comes to choosing a club but a return to Arsenal to become part of Arteta’s first-team picture looks unlikely. His future at the Gunners is muddied by the fact he would have to be registered as an overseas player in the 25-man Premier League squad for which there is already stiff competition.
With Arsenal already chasing new recruits, players like Trusty who are yet to make a lasting impression on Arteta face an uphill battle before the transfer window has even begun.
