Leandro Trossard says he won't sign a new deal with Brighton; He has been left out of the squad to face Liverpool on Saturday afternoon; 28-year-old left training without speaking to head coach Roberto De Zerbi after discovering he would not play in the FA Cup last weekend
Monday 16 January 2023 14:04, UK
Leandro Trossard wants to leave Brighton after head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed he would not be in the squad for the visit of Liverpool after exhibiting a poor attitude in training.
The 28-year-old has not played for the Seagulls since the 4-2 defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal on New Year's Eve and now he says he won't sign a new deal with the club.
A statement released by Trossard's agent Josy Comhair read: "Before Leandro left for Qatar, it was Brighton's intention to extend his contract, this did not happen as parties did not reach an agreement. Leandro has also indicated he is ready for his next step.
"After the World Cup there was an altercation at training between Leandro and another player over an inanity. 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. In the five substitutions that took place then, he was also not among them and this is without any explanation.
"In the run-up to the match against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, Leandro had already reported calf problems twice. This was the reason he stopped training. This was in consultation with the medical staff.
"Through the physical trainer, Leandro learned that he had to train separately. Last Monday the trainer then grounded Leandro in the group and indicated that he did not want to see him anymore. A trainer who has not communicated directly with his player for four weeks is truly incomprehensible.
"It is also the trainer who has indicated several times that a transfer is the most reasonable solution.
"It is therefore important that Brighton cooperates with a potential transfer, which is beneficial for both parties"
Sky Sports News have contacted Brighton for a response.
Trossard trained alone this week owing to what De Zerbi deemed to be poor behaviour.
"Leandro isn't in the list of the players for tomorrow," he told reporters during his press conference on Friday afternoon.
"Leandro knows very well my opinion. The last training session before the Middlesbrough game, when he understood he wouldn't play, he left the session without saying anything to me and it's not good.
"On the Monday, I spoke with him and I explained I don't like this attitude, this behaviour.
"He knows very well if he wants to play with Brighton with me, he has to work hard, he has to run, he has to be in the right way because we are not a big team, a Real Madrid, Barcelona or another big, big team. We are Brighton and we need players who work like the other players."
There is reported interest from Tottenham in Belgian international Trossard, whose contract expires this summer, though Brighton hold the option to extend his deal by another 12 months.
De Zerbi, however, refused to comment on transfer speculation when questioned.
"I don't know about the transfer market, if he wants to change teams or not. It's not my problem. I'm a coach, only a coach and the first 11, while I am the coach, I will decide," he said.
"I'm not thinking about the transfer market, other teams or other discussions. The only discussion is to play for the team, to work and to run on the pitch.
"I don't know what the problem is [with Trossard]. I want to be honest because I want to be clear. I'm open with him, I'm open to taking a step back.
"If he wants to play, I'm open to listening to him, but he has to understand that, with me, I only want players who work hard, who play for the team 100 per cent."
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window opened on Sunday January 1, 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
