Roberto De Zerbi sends clear message to Leandro Trossard ahead of Arsenal clash

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has sent a clear message to Leandro Trossard ahead of their Premier League clash against Arsenal.

Trossard arrived at the Emirates in January, following a fall-out with De Zerbi which saw him lose his place in the side.

The 28-year-old ended up forcing a move away from the Amex, with Mikel Arteta talking full advantage of the situation.

Trossard has settled in well at Arsenal and will face his former club for the first time since his bitter exit on Sunday afternoon.

The match looks to be a fascinating contest with so much on the line.

The Gunners require three points if they are to stand any chance of keeping up with Manchester City. While Brighton will be hoping to bounce back from their shocking 5-1 defeat to Everton last weekend, as the Seagulls chase European football.

But in the mix of the drama, spectators may have an eagle eye on whether De Zerbi and Trossard cross paths during the match.

However, when asked about his relationship with Trossard, De Zerbi had a classy response, insisting he would not reignite his feud with the Belgium international.

What did he say?

Brighton have managed brilliantly in Trossard's absence, with Kaoru Mitoma making a smooth transition into the first-team.

Speaking ahead of the match, De Zerbi chose to let bygones be bygones and instead took the opportunity to praise Trossards' ability.

The Italian stated (quotes via Metro): "Trossard is a fantastic player. He was a fantastic player when he played for us and he still is a fantastic player.

"Now we have other players. I am proud for my players and I’m proud of my squad.

"I only want to speak about my players and don’t want to speak about players from other teams."

Arteta also had his say on the transfer saga, stating that "everybody is happy".

“There was a situation there, we wanted the player and they were ok to sell the player to us," the Spaniard said.

"When that happens everybody is happy. I love to have him in the squad, he has been great and you can see the contribution he has made.”

Topics: Arsenal, Brighton And Hove Albion, Mikel Arteta, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno