Arsenal defender Auston Trusty, who spent this past season on loan with Championship side Birmingham City has reportedly been placed on the Gunners transfer list, according to Kaya Kaynak of football.london.
Trusty joined Arsenal from MLS side Colorado Rapids last January and was immediately loaned back to the American side. Upon joining up with the Arsenal team in the summer, he was once again loan listed and spent his time in the second division with Birmingham City and was a standout performer for the club.
The 24-year-old only missed two games of the Blues’ 50-game campaign last season and was rewarded with the Player of the Year award for the Midlands club. Those efforts were also rewarded as he was called up to the USA national team for the first time. There are no definitive links for the American at present but given his performances recently, there are sure to be several suitors, it is not thought that Trusty would make the drop below the Championship to a division such as League One, with the player having previously discussed his desire to play football at an elite level in an interview with The Birmingham Mail last month.
“Coming from the US I knew I would have to come here and prove myself. When I came here I really was an unproven European player, I had to come here and prove that I can hold my ground and do my job. Coming to the Championship and a team like Birmingham City that allowed me to show that was the best-case scenario.”
The news of Trusty’s transfer listing will be positive for many clubs to hear, whether Blues take an interest in signing the player permanently is yet to be seen, he could command a hefty sum given his performances for the club last season and Arsenal will be looking to make a profit.
Two clubs could be certainly interested in Trusty’s signature. Scottish side Rangers will be boosted by this news, as he was reportedly one of Michael Beale’s targets last summer before he joined Birmingham City. Recently relegated Leeds United may also be taking a look at Trusty as he discussed on The Deeney Podcast in April the days leading up to his move last January.
“I had a few teams [interested], I was actually going to Leeds,”
“Then Arsenal came in. I basically said, ‘make this happen.’ I let my agent do all that kind of stuff. I just focus on football.”
Leeds will be looking to strengthen their squad this summer as they look to escape from the Championship, especially as they will have to offload some players this summer making the drop to the Championship and if any centre-backs are to leave, the American international could be an ideal replacement for their defensive options.
Writer’s View
It is a shock to see Trusty transfer listed by Arsenal, especially given he is yet to play a game for the side, however, Mikel Arteta has some solid options in his defensive line that the American would struggle to get in ahead of. With that being said, he will certainly be looking to remain in England, his comments in recent months on the Premier League make it clear this is somewhere he wants to play. Trusty will be looking to make his name in the top flight, but it is unlikely to see him make an immediate move there in this transfer window, but he could certainly make an impact and help a club that is attempting to achieve promotion. His loan spell with Birmingham was a stepping stone in the process of establishing him as a top player in Europe so a drop to League One is unlikely, a team such as Leeds or Leicester who are looking to win promotion next season may be the best option for the player.
