Reports surfaced last year claiming Kroenke Sports & Entertainment planned to create deeper connections between their sporting franchises, with the aim to share information across their network that will allow Arsenal to expand scouting operations in North America.
In an attempt to kickstart those plans, Auston Trusty was signed from Kroenke-owned Colorado Rapids. At the time, no one saw a future for him at Arsenal considering it was all part of a business move, and although that may turn out to be true, his transfer could prove more beneficial than initially anticipated.
The central defender joined Birmingham City on a season-long loan last summer and has taken the Sky Bet Championship by storm since. A number of bright displays for the Blues have seen Trusty become a real fans' favourite at St. Andrew’s, with supporters often chanting “USA” in support of the 24-year-old. As well as proving to be an absolute brick wall in the heart of Birmingham’s backline, Trusty has also played a key role going forward, bagging three goals and one assist.
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The fact that Trusty has played every single minute for Birmingham so far tells you everything you need to know. Not only does it emphasise just how highly he's rated but also how reliable he has been for them. In fact, his performances have even led to calls for Mikel Arteta to give him a chance during the next pre-season. However, the £21million arrival of Jakub Kiwior could make that difficult.
Like Trusty, Kiwior is a left-footed central defender, though the Poland international has been brought in to immediately strengthen the first-team squad. It means Trusty is unlikely to feature for the Gunners at all moving forward, but thanks to his rapid and impressive development, sporting director Edu should be able to receive much more than the £1.6million the club paid for him one year ago.
After switching the States for north London, Trusty admitted that the thought of playing for Arsenal at some point in the future had already crossed his mind. “Being a player with Arsenal - you can't not factor that in,” he told America Soccer Now. “They are one of the biggest clubs, if not the biggest club in the world. I back myself. I believe in myself. There were other offers on the table, but when they came into the picture, that's a dream club for any kid in the world. It was kind of a no-brainer.”
Unfortunately for Trusty, the chances of him securing a place in Arteta's plans now appear slimmer than they were before, but with Kiwior also able to play as a left-back and defensive midfielder, the door hasn't been completely shut just yet.
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