Leandro Trossard's agent Josy Comhair has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur expressed an interest in signing Leandro Trossard before his transfer to Arsenal.
Having completed a switch to the Emirates Stadium on Friday, the Belgium international made his debut as a substitute during Sunday's 3-2 victory over Manchester United.
The 28-year-old made a positive impact in what was his first outing since New Year's Eve, a consequence of an injury and the breakdown of his relationship with Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi.
The Gunners committed to paying £27m to win the race for Trossard, a deal which is deemed to be a notable coup after missing out to Chelsea in the race to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Not only have Arsenal been successful in adding to their squad, Comhair has acknowledged that Spurs were beaten to Trossard's signature by their North London rivals.
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At one stage, Spurs were regarded as the favourites by bookmakers as Antonio Conte looked to instigate a change in fortunes with his team dropping off the pace in the race for next season's Champions League.
While it appears that Spurs were ready to move for Trossard at some stage before the end of the January window, Comhair has insisted that Arsenal were far more proactive with their interest.
Speaking to reporters, as quoted by The Mirror, Comhair said: "Spurs were in contact with us for the last two weeks. But it was we want him, but wait this, wait that.
"Wednesday we got in touch with Arsenal - 24 hours later they had an agreement."
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After Arsenal had come from behind to see off United, Mikel Arteta revealed that boosting his squad numbers had been high on his agenda.
The Spaniard told Sky Sports: "Just in terms of numbers, we had 15 or 16 outfield players [before signing Trossard and Jakub Kiwior] and it wasn't enough.
"They are going to help us. You saw Trossard is composed and confident already."
Having not represented Brighton in their third-round win over Middlesbrough, Trossard is eligible to make his first start for Arsenal when they face Manchester City on January 27.
Darren Plant
