Adam Lallana is adamant Brighton will cope without Leandro Trossard as he closes in on a move to Arsenal.
The Belgian is set to be unveiled as a Gunners player on a Friday after agreeing a £27million deal with the Seagulls. It is understood Brighton will initially receive £21m for Trossard, with the rest of the fee to be paid in add-ons.
Trossard’s demise at the Amex Stadium has been a swift one, having been yet another success story of their shrewd recruitment plan. The 28-year-old has seven Premier League goals this season and has played a key role in Brighton’s excellent first half of the season.
But after a public falling out with manager Roberto De Zerbi, the versatile midfielder angled for an exit during the January window. He is now poised to become the latest in a long line of Seagull stars who have moved on in recent times.
But Lallana insists that like they have with the likes of Ben White and Marc Cucurella, Brighton will simply find a way to adjust to life without him.
“You only need to look at the last three games without him, I think it’s been 5-1, 4-1 and 3-0,” he told Sky Sports. “So as I said to you earlier, players can leave Brighton but we’ve got enough without them.
“We had enough without [Yves] Bissouma, [Marc] Cucurella, Ben White, Dan Burn, when Neal [Maupay] moved on. So if Leo moves on we’ll cope. We’re coping already.”
The feud between Trossard and his manager started shortly after the World Cup break, with the player’s agent accusing De Zerbi of “humiliating” his client.
“After the World Cup there was an altercation at training between Leandro and another player over an inanity,” Jost Comhair explained. “Since then, the trainer has not spoken to Leandro, which is obviously not conducive to the atmosphere, as well as performance-wise.
“Leandro still was a first-eleven player against Southampton and Arsenal but against Everton he was on the bench.
“Last Monday, the manager [De Zerbi] humiliated Leandro in [the] group and indicated that he no longer wanted to see him. A manager who has not communicated directly with his player for four weeks is really incomprehensible.”
De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter as Brighton boss earlier this season, has largely kept his counsel on the dispute, but did insist that if Trossard wanted to be brought back into the fold, there had to be changes.
“I want to be clear about Trossard. I’m sorry for the situation,” De Zerbi explained last week. ”I don’t think I’ve made a mistake with him. The people inside Brighton know very well the situation.
“I’m fine with myself and I’m ready to open the doors for him, because he’s a good guy and a very important player for us. He changes the team, but he has to understand and to work with my attitude, in my way, because I am the coach, I decide the rules inside the dressing room, only this.”
Brighton will begin the post-Trossard era when they face Leicester City on Saturday knowing a win could see them go fifth in the Premier League table.
